A mother in Dallas has been arrested after she allegedly tried to sell her baby boy in a classified ad for US$4,000.

Megan Heichelbeck saw the ad and decided to adopt the baby, but then had second thoughts and reported the advertisement to the police, the Daily Mail reports.

"She was looking for a better home for him," Heichelbeck said. "She wanted someone who could take care of him and do the things that needed to be done."

According to a police report, managers of the woman's flat entered her home to collect the rent and found the baby in his crib alone, The Dallas Morning News reports.

When the mother returned, she was charged with child abandonment with intent to return and taken into custody.

The four-month-old boy was taken to Child Protective Services.

"I just think it's a very sad situation, and I'm glad that the baby is safe and away from those people," Latonia Smith, a shocked neighbour, said.

Another advertisement offering a four-month-old baby for adoption for US$6,500 was also found, but it hasn't been revealed if it refers to the same boy.

"I'm in search of an great family for my son. He is four months old and he is African American and Hispanic," the ad read, the Daily Mail reports.



"I can no longer care for him the way he needs to be. We are living in a women's shelter now."

Police won't reveal the identity of the woman until she is booked into jail.