Agreed with this. The FAs are probably instructed not to do anything with a passenger's infant. Who knows, they might pick them up and then BAM! Huge turbulence & the baby's flying in the air and hits the overhead luggage fontanel-on.....who's responsible then?

As for passengers with babies traveling alone, there is NO expectation of anyone else "helping them out". I imagine this point is moot most of the time because most mothers who truly care about their newborn infants are not going to even THINK of handing their precious bundles of joy(?) to some rando. It isn't an issue.

I guess OP's friend complained about how hard it was to be on a long-haul flight with that baby & that's how the conversation started. There is no expectation of help, though.

If I had a hot mom sitting next to me with a baby, yeah, maybe I might help her out. Seriously, though, odds are I would be rueing my choice of seat if I had ANY baby next to me, let alone a baby I was being asked to hold. Le sigh.