PSA: If you are flying with your kids, do not use hand sanitizer or baby wipes before security. Seriously.
How do I know?
The first time I brought my older son on a plane, I was shaky. What if he cried on the plane? What if he didn’t sleep? What if I cried on the plane? By the time we reached security and were juggling all of our stuff, I was a jittery mess.
But I didn’t think twice when the TSA agent randomly pulled me aside to do the hand-wipe for bomb materials. I definitely thought twice when they told me they found something and needed to give me a private pat-down. Thankfully, I was traveling with my husband and could hand my son off to him. Despite that, he was still screaming bloody murder as they led me into a back room.
Of course, they didn’t find anything. When I asked them what could have set it off, they said glycerine. Which can be a bomb-making material. But is also a main ingredient in baby wipes. Freaking baby wipes.
For more on traveling with kids, be sure to check out How Being a Mom Changed My Perspective on Family Vacations.