WIBU to put my baby into modelling?

[LaurieLauren]

I'm on maternity leave... Not a whole lot to do. I think it would be fun.

An agency has accepted her. There's no cost...

She's very cute

we need to see a picture

I've been asked plenty of times why my I don't put my two into modelling - I don't agree with it, I see it as selling your child (I know people may disagree with me, but that's the way I feel about it)

OP it is entirely up to you what you want to do, she's tour child after all, but I would say YABU.

Congratulations on having a new baby girl

I can't decide whether you are being genuine or a goady fucker.

Be very wary.. there's a well known scam where "agencies" tell you your kid is the next Kate Moss and offer you a photo shoot for "headshots" etc. They then charge anywhere between £500 - £600 to release the "rights" of these photos to you, and they also take this one off fee to send her shots to the magazines etc etc. You then hear nothing back and when challenged, it's the mags that didnt like your DC and not their fault. It's totally legal and you'll never see your money again.

Why would I be trying to be goady?

There isn't any fees, you can also use your own pictures.

I don't think you make much of a profit, so it wouldn't be for money.

Please don't put a picture of your baby up here.

No way in hell would I do this.

I won't

A friend of mine did it about 10 years ago with her then baby son. She was recruited by a genuine scout and paid no money to be represented. Her son was often picked as a "stand by" or "understudy" and often then went on to get the gig because he was very placid and not prone to tears. He appeared in a pampers ad campaign amongst other things. They lived in London so found the travel easy and only did it until he was about 2. He now has a nice nest egg in his bank account for the future.

Another friend's daughter did some modelling too, but when she was a bit older (3-5ish?). She had blond ringlets and as her hair darkened she got less work and her mum was told she should dye it blonder. The mum refused and the work dried up. The girl was pretty upset about the whole thing though.

Mixed bag then. I suppose as long as the child is happy to do it and is protected from negativity it can work out ok. Having said that, I was approached and said no because I knew DS was too highly strung and would not have enjoyed it.

I've had similar comments about my child, and in all honesty, I just can't be arsed! It seems like a hell of a lot of effort in terms of travelling for castings etc for very little return. If you fancy giving it a go though, and it's a reputable agency then why not. I have an older child too and it would be difficult to juggle, which is even more reason not to.

Child modelling is fine. DD did it for a bit when she was little. It's not unpleasant for the child and when they're a little older, say from 2/3 they'll start to know if they like it or not. If they don't, don't take them.
It's a bit precious to say it's wrong to do. Imagine the blank pages in catalogues, online, on hoardings if you saw no advertising.
We went with Kids London and Urban Angels as they were free/virtually free. Do avoid the scammers but it's not always true to say that you shouldn't pay up front. Eurokids, for example, had a hefty fee but at jobs and castings we often saw Eurokids so their parents made their money back.
It's fun to do if you have the time and inclination but you don't make lots of money unless you get adverts and tv.

Also, you are required to make a bank account for the child so earnings are theirs not yours.

Pleasant getting chatting to the their parents. They're usually surprisingly pleasant and normal, nothing like pageant moms.

Which agency is it OP?

One of my cousins was approached by an agency when she was a kid. Her mum said no, and she's never forgiven her. I say go for it :D

Its an awful lot of faff.

DS1 acts and has had a number of TV parts. His agency also do modelling and have put him forward for various modelling jobs (most of which we made excuses for but he did a couple in the early stages ). Generally you bear your own travel costs plus you have to chaperone them and you get around £30-£40 an hour for photographic shoots less the agency's commission at 25%. Quite frequently the shoot will take less than an hour. They're rarely glamourous.

Modelling agencies with lots of commercial clients will always accept babies whether they are pretty or not because they grow so quickly and the agency has to offer the client a selection at exactly the right age for the client's requirements.

DS1s agency does charge for first lot of photos but he has more than made that money back and all update photos are free. PP is also right in that the child needs a bank account.

Why not OP if it's while your on maternity leave. Should be an interesting experience. If you DD doesn't like it she will let you know. Also at a young age it can't affect their self esteem as it might later

I did it as a child and did not enjoy it. I had ringlet blonde curls and apparently my first proper sentence was "no, it's not a perm" (this was the 80's!).

DD has the same hair and quite a few people have asked if I have considered it, DM asks regularly and has had to be told in no uncertain terms to never apply for anything without my consent again

I would not do it for my own child and feel uneasy when I see friends applying for their own children yet I can't pinpoint why that is.

I know someone that started the process but ended up not doing much as they were expected to be in London at short notice. So if you live in London, great, but if not it might be more effort that it's worth.

Bonnie & Betty

The main centres are London for all types of work and Greater Manchester and around for catalogue type stuff. If you don't live in these areas it may be difficult.

Bonnie and Betty was new when we started several years ago. It was meant to be good.

I agree, 99 percent of the work is London or Manchester.

I once responded to a request for ID twins, sent in a photo and was asked to go to a casting...which was in central London on one of the hottest days that year right slap bang in the middle of their usual nap time. I very quickly decided it wasn't worth the faff of getting tired toddler twins plus double buggy to Soho or wherever so that was the end of that! But if you are up for it, why not?!

I don't see the harm but suspect it may be more faff than you think. There will be lots of waiting around and a fair bit of travelling - that may not fit well with your baby's naps or feeds. A lot depends on how flexible or easy going your baby is (mine weren't!)

I'd say give it a go but be prepared to re think if it's not working out.