This is the best way to soothe a crying baby, according to science

While the approach worked better than the rest, the scientists are not claiming it is a magic bullet for sleep-deprived parents

'Excessive crying, especially during the night-time, is shown to be a major source of parental stress'

Rather than stumbling back to bed in the early hours after finally soothing their crying baby, sleep-deprived parents may want to peruse the latest scientific literature on the transport of altricial mammals.

In an attempt to help those rendered numb by sleep loss, researchers have conducted a series of experiments to find out which approach to wailing infants settles them the best.