Man sparks debate after cradling his daughter's head for 45 minutes so she could sleep during a flight

People are flocking to social media to weigh in on a dad's decision to cradle his daughter's head so she could sleep on a flight.

Some people certainly haven't heard of the phrase, 'If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all', unable to help themselves pointing out the flaws in the logic of a man simply trying to do a nice gesture for his daughter.

A Reddit user named u/therra123 took to the thread r/MadeMeSmile to share a sweet moment between a dad and their daughter they spotted on their flight.

The user uploaded an image of a girl curled up on her aisle seat, her head resting not against the armrest or the back of the chair, but her dad's hand instead.

In the picture you can see the dad leant forward, extending his arm and curling it around the seat so his daughter can get some shuteye - it's hardly a comfortable solution to say the least.

The caption reads: "This man kept his hand in this position for 45 minutes so his daughter could sleep well."

Alas, despite the lovely heartfelt gesture and how the post was tagged as 'wholesome moments', some Redditors couldn't help themselves but to weigh in on the logistics of the dad's act of kindness.

Pexels/eric fotos

The post quickly went viral, amassing over 60,000 upvotes and thousands of comments.

One user wrote: "I feel like... I feel like there's a better way."

"Do you not have your towel? A towel is the most important thing you can carry," another added.

While someone else commented: "Shows a distinct lack of creative problem solving. 45 min you say and couldn't think of a practical solution. Huh!"

And a fourth wrote: "Seriously. Roll up a hoodie jacket and bam! Insta-pillow. Or here's a crazy thought: ask a flights attendant for a blanket and pillow."

Pexels/Евгений Шухман

However, others stuck up for the dad lending a hand.

One Redditor wrote: "Probably, but when my son falls asleep with his face in my hand I literally melt inside and could just stare at him for hours.

"Granted, he’s a toddler but still, I don’t think that feeling will ever fade."

Another added: "I've done that for my dog."

And others simply condemned the original Redditor for taking a photograph of the dad-daughter duo in the first place.

One commented: "Why are we ok taking photos of strangers and posting it online? They're people not objects."

And someone else chimed: "Awww so heartwarming! I love photographing strangers and their kids in public without their consent!!!"

So, what do you think?