Babies cry less overall if they are comforted and reassured as soon as they start to cry, a new study suggests.

Researchers in London, Copenhagen and the US found that, contrary to popular belief, babies who receive attention as soon as they start crying actually cry less than those treated to more 'hands-off' parenting.

The study of new parents and their babies found that London parents left children to cry longer than the two other groups in Copenhagen and the United States.

The London infants cried 50 per cent more than the others at two and five weeks after birth and were still crying more at 12-weeks-old, according to Dr Ian St James-Roberts, of the University of London's Institute of Education.

Parents kept a diary of their babies' crying and their own responses at various stages in their early development and researchers also took part in home visits, gathered audio evidence and carried out questionnaires on feeding and sleeping patterns.

The study, published in the journal Paediatrics also indicated that the amount of time babies are held for each day has little connection with the amount they cry.