What a stranger did for this new mum on a flight will make you smile

Later this week, I’m flying to the UK with my almost two-year-old, for a long weekend back home.

It’s only a short flight, and it’s not the first time I’ve flown on my own with her, but I’m still anxious about the inevitable chaos that will unfold once we step on board.

While I try not to care TOO much about what other passengers think, any parent who has ever flown with kids knows how stressful the experience can be. Especially if your travel companion is as wild as mine. (Wish me luck.)

Which is why a young mum took to Facebook to show her gratitude after a stranger helped her out on a flight recently. En route to surprise her military husband, Rebekka Garvison was so nervous about flying with her four-month-old daughter she asked the flight attendant to move her because she felt a nearby couple were ‘annoyed’ about sitting next to a baby.

Rebekka and her daughter switched to a row with two empty seats, but despite the extra space, baby Rylee wouldn’t stop crying. It was then that a fellow passenger, who offered to help calm the baby, turned the young mum’s day around. Talking about the act of kindness, Rebekka said her daughter stopped crying as soon as the stranger held her, before falling asleep for the rest of the flight.

Nyfesha Miller continued to help by holding the baby whilst the mum put the buggy together. Thanking her in a Facebook post that has been shared almost 83,000 times, Rebekka said, “You will never understand how happy this act of kindness has made my family. You could’ve just rolled your eyes and been irritated like everyone else, but you took her and held her the entire flight and let me get some rest and peace of mind. It brought tears to my eyes while I sat there and watched you and Rylee sleeping next to me. I just couldn’t believe how that ended up working out and how caring you were to us. Thank you SO much!!”

If only all fellow passengers were as understanding and helpful, eh.