is calling you babe, it's probably because they care about you or are speaking flirtatiously with you, and, as Sullivan said, calling you by your name might not get that across at the moment. Whether or not there is romantic meaning behind its use is determined by its context."
We use the term when calling a partner by name isn’t strong enough to express all of your feelings. "It can be used by any gender, among S.O.’s, even often among friends. "The word babe has highly adaptive qualities," Sullivan says. A close friend commenting, "BABE you look HOT!" on your Instagram photo means something different than the person you've been dating for a while saying, "hey babe, pick you up at 7?" In most cases it's used to express love, but it can be hard to decipher if someone means it platonically, exclusively, or just in a casual, flirty way.
So, why do people use them term babe or baby in regard to those they care about? Everyone uses it for different reasons, and in various contexts.