What do you call someone who gets along with children/babies?
A simple example:
He is such a ________, he makes all children smile.
A single word noun would be ideal but a phrase is acceptable also. There might be a colloquial word or phrase too.
For example, there is a phrase good mixer which means someone who can get along with everyone [See: second meaning of mixer]. So, what we are looking for is almost like a subtype of this characteristic.
There are words like likeable or easygoing but they are too general.
The closest word I could find is avuncular but it does not sound that suitable for this usage. I have never used this word in this way.
Kind and friendly towards a younger or less experienced person: he was avuncular, reassuring, and trustworthy
Also, I'm not sure if we can use avuncular as a gender neutral word for this sense. [Because it is a masculine word for its anthropological sense]. It seems like there isn't a common word as a feminine version. Amicular and materteral is proposed in this previous ELU question: Is there a feminine equivalent to the adjective “avuncular”?
Best Answer
Maternal and Paternal work in some cases.