A Flight Attendant Caught a Baby Who Was About to Fall Out of a Mother’s Lap Mid-Flight. She Let the Mom ‘Have a Break’

A flight attendant came to the rescue of a tired mom when her baby nearly fell out of her lap mid-flight as she was falling asleep.

A passenger on United Airlines flight 3486 heading from Newark, N.J., to Grand Rapids, Mich., shared the sweet encounter on Instagram.

The passenger, John Frehse, wrote that the flight attendant — identified as Monique Harris — “sprung into action” as the “new (and exhausted) mother fell asleep and her baby was about to fall out of her lap.”

Luckily, Harris was able to catch the child, and as Frehse put it, she decided to give the new mom “a break” by holding her baby while she napped.

Monique Harris, a Republic Airways flight attendant, holds a passenger’s baby.John Frehse
“@united should be very proud,” Frehse wrote of Harris, who is a flight attendant for Republic Airways, a regional airline that operates flights for several airlines, including United.

“All is not lost in this turbulent time,” he added.

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Frehse’s post has garnered more than 150,000 likes, and Harris’ kind gesture caught the attention of the airlines involved.

“Such a great story! We are proud to have Monique on our team,” Republic Airways wrote in the comments, while the official United account reacted with a teary-eyed emoji.

United Airlines planes (stock image). AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post
Harris also chimed in underneath the post, writing that she was “in tears” over the sweet response to her actions.

“I never do anything for recognition,” she added. “I had no idea that being my normal, natural self would grow into such a priceless moment!!!”

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In another comment, Frehse shared some praise for Harris, calling her “wonderful in so many ways.”

“I also know she really saved the day. The mom was just too tired and couldn’t stay awake,” he wrote. “[Harris] is a hero.”