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Child ModelingOverview
Any parent who wants to sign her baby up to be a model should first consider what goes into being the parent of a baby model. It requires an enormous amount of time and effort to take babies to modeling auditions. It is common to go on dozens of auditions before getting a single baby modeling job. This process can also take a toll on the baby if the parent is too pushy. However, if your baby exhibits natural modeling ability and has the support of parents, modeling can be a great adventure.
Step 1
Be honest about your motivations behind signing a baby up to be a model. It should be because the baby is cute and has an outgoing personality. Taking care of a baby model requires a lot of work. Be certain that you want to commit the time and resources to it.
Step 2
Get your baby used to strangers. Baby models must be willing to go to people they don't know without crying or reaching out for their parents. This is the most important quality of a baby model. If your baby freaks out when you hand her to a stranger, she wont get past any audition.
Step 3
Take some photographs of your baby. You can take these yourself. They do not need to be professionally done. All you are trying to do is show that your baby is photogenic. You will need at least one head shot and one full body shot. Try to make the poses natural and charming. Do not, under any circumstances, consider pictures of a baby covered in food. It is a cliche and modeling agents hate it.
Step 4
Make an appointment with a legitimate baby modeling agency. Start with the child divisions of major agencies like Ford Models. They have a time every week when you can drop by with your baby and pictures. Such agencies will honestly tell you whether your baby has potential. If an agency is not interested, it will refer you to other legitimate agencies.
Step 5
Read every contract carefully. You will be required to sign one on behalf of your baby when hiring a modeling agency. Make sure that the agency has a modeling agency license. It should have been in business for many years, and it should not also be a modeling school. If it tries to sell you photographs or modeling lessons, it is not a legitimate baby modeling agency. Do not allow the agent to take a fee higher than 20 percent or sign for a term longer than 3 years.
Step 6
Go to every audition. Your agent will call you with details. Sometimes you will get a few days' notice, but sometimes you will only get a few hours' notice. You must be willing to drop what you are doing, clean up your baby and get him to the audition on time. If you pass on too many auditions, your agent will stop calling you. Get used to the fact that your baby will be rejected far more than he will get jobs. Even the most successful baby models are rejected regularly. You can improve your odds by making sure your baby is happy, changed, rested, and fed.
TIPS AND WARNINGS
- TIP : It is possible to get baby modeling jobs without an agent, but it is much more difficult. You will need to be your baby's agent. Scan modeling chat boards and Craigslist in your area for open casting calls and modeling contests. Form a network with other baby model parents and share information. Avoid any audition that requires you to pay a fee.
- WARNING : There are a lot of baby modeling scams out there, especially on the Internet. They fill parents' heads with stories of modeling glory and make them believe that spending money on lessons, pictures or representation will make it happen. The truth is that no legitimate baby modeling agency requires you to pay them up front. They make money by taking a percentage of your baby's modeling fees.
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