Personally, I have never gotten the hype by the names “baby,” “babe,” “bae,” “honey,” it feels forced to me. I’ve seen those TikTok videos where as a joke people will address their spouses by their real names and the spouses get mad and say something like “my family and friends can call me that, but you can’t.” I’ve never gotten the seriousness of it. If we already know we’re boyfriend and girlfriend, or husband and wife, why should I have to address you by those names? Again, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with saying them, but using real names should become more common as well.
I use baby naturally, some Spanish cutesy pet name, or a nickname that I made up because that’s what feels good for me. Honey strikes me as weird or distant like some exhausted married couple on a tv show, so I have never used it. Babe also feels off to me too. But, I don’t really care what other people call their romantic partners unless it’s something interestingly different. I think that you should do whatever you want in your relationships.