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Is it accepted to say "my poor" as affection way?

For example: Your baby or a little kid is crying, then you're going to him and ask "what happened?" and he's telling you for example that he fell. But you see that nothing really serious happened to him and he simply wants some (parental or relative) attention. Now my question is from the words usage aspect, is it idiomatic to response "Oh, my poor baby..." and kiss him while 'consoling' him and promising everything will be okay...?

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  • Why not, "Oh, my dear boy" or girl. Or even better, "Oh, honey"
    – SovereignSun
    Commented Nov 26, 2019 at 10:51
  • Yes, it's perfectly acceptable to say "Poor baby" or Poor [name]" when consoling a child. You might also say 'Oh, poor you" when commiserating with an adult for some misfortune (though it wouldn't be appropriate for a serious incident).
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Nov 26, 2019 at 15:14

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"Poor" is not really an "affectionate" term - in this context, it means deserving of pity or sympathy. That said, one would be more prone to show sympathy to someone you did have affection for.

It is the affectionate term "baby" that makes the phrase one of endearment. "My poor baby" expresses both sympathy and affection.

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