Baby modelling... What’s it really like?

I actually had modelling agencies and advert exceccutives come up to me offering contracts and adverts for McKayla to play in. And we are talking quite a bit of money. When I asked for more information it meant a lot of time away from home. It will be like me having a job. McKayla wont be in her own routine ect. And some of this stuff is a lot of work.

I am not totally against it if the money gets invested for them but at the same time it shouldnt be a job for them as such. We decided against. If something comes up like just sending a photo in ect and winning money will do that but not really big projects as such.

Unless off course she gets older and wants to do it. Even then I will limit it.

we did it in Japan. It was okay, but there were many auditions that we were invited to, but no guarantee of a job. Jake was offered a catalogue job which Lewis took him to. They were more interested in babies that wouldn't cry, and could cope with long hours. Lewis had taken lots of snacks - they had said they would provide things, but didn't have anything suitable. They also said that the would work around nap times, but of course with several children there, that was never going to happen. Lewis said that for a lot of the mums there, their husbands were working, and due to visa purposes they couldn't - so being a stage mom WAS their job, and boy, did some of them take it seriously. Jake ended up being offered three more jobs, but all were around the time we had visitors so we were going to be away. He got paid...well, can't remember how much, but it paid for his ticket to Thailand. (he really needed to go to the beach!). It can be good money, BUT it is a lot of ferrying around, and no guarantee that the child will get work. What they seem to look for, less than looks, is a child who will smile on cue and is confident in front of the camera. Well, in Japan it was more like - foreign - the onl;y criteria.

Thanks for sharing your experiences, ladies -- I'm just interested to know what it's really like since SIL is SO confident it's going to be an amazing opportunity that will catapult my nephew to fame and fortune. Anybody else have experiences? Maybe we have some famous OHbabies in here!

I've been told that I should get Ella into modelling, even by a professional photographer who took our portrait photos.. but this is the kid who doesn't stay still for very long I didn't like the idea of interupting her routine either, as she wasn't really a great sleeper anyway. Plus most of the jobs are in Akld and we're in Wgtn.

My twin and i used to do a little of it when we were little, but once day we decided thats it no more and refused to co-operate but if it works for you and your little one then i dont see why not.

I believe that often it is less how the child looks and more their behaviour that will land modelling contract - will they smile and laugh in front of strangers, or will they be shy, will they cope with missed naptimes or be a mess? will they take instructions or just run around like crazy! Jake was okay because he was at the stage before crawling so would sit still for longer periods of time, and at the time was a very social child, grinning at anyone who looked twice at him (remember we were in a small area and a foreign baby - a virtual celebrity!)

LOL yes, Emma, it is "the" SIL I'm referring to... the awful one. I'm information-gathering so that I can hold my own when she starts going ON and ON about this latest little "project" of hers!

oh Lizzle...MEOW!!!! but that was a great one....

Katherine - do u know which agency she has signed up with as there are some real dodgy ones around that wont get any work...eg did she pay them to join etc???

Hey Bombshell, I have no idea what agency she signed up with (when she starts on this topic, like many others, I try not to ask too many questions because it encourages her) but she said she paid $60 to sign up, and that was supposed to be for the portfolio photo shoot. I haven't seen the photos from this photo shoot, though, or even heard if they had one.

With my SIL, things tend to be very vague and somewhat exaggerated -- so the phrase, "My son is going to be a baby model" could actually be interpreted as, "Someone in the supermarket said my son is cute, so I've decided that's all the evidence I need that he's cute enough to model, so therefore I've called a baby modelling agency and gotten info on what I need to do to get him into the industry."

I don't want to be too b*tchy, because she is oblivious to it anyway -- when she first mentioned the baby modelling thing, I said, "Wow, that'll sure give you something to talk about for the next few months," and the remark went right over her head. I think she lives in an alternate universe!

oh hehe soooo funny bout the SIL thing!! LMAO!! sounds like mine - example - MIL says to SIL about eldest daughter who is a handful! "Maybe she'll be a bit easier to manage when shes 5 or something" this is what SIL heard (with her "ears") "I want T**** to come and live with me when she turns 5" how the hec she got that i dont know but its halerious hearing about your similar stories! lol
Like on 'BONES' last night they depicted what seemed to me to be really over the top child modeling but after reading so much about Jon Benet Ramsey a few years ago that may be how it is over there (and here i dunno). Im not sure if anyone else watched it but it was sick! that this murdered girls mother made her wear a corset to bed that deformed her ribs etc, veneered her teeth, bleeched her brown hair blonde! and starved her so she didnt put on weight! and she was only 9!! etc etc! very sad!!!