Parents think that just because the neighbor across the street, or the local pastor or teacher says that their baby is so cute, that it means they should immediately go out and find an agent and get their baby signed up to a lifetime contract in baby modeling. But is this necessarily the right thing to do? Parents should think long and hard about all the pitfalls and dangers that accompany life in the modeling world.

If you can get by that warning, then you will want to know how to proceed. The obvious route is to go online and look for the free contest offerings. Because the first place to start is to get your baby noticed. Oh, sure you can submit photos to modeling agencies, but entering your baby into the free contests online or in your community is so much more fun and immediately rewarding, especially if your baby wins!

Then, the next logical step is to enter your beautiful baby in a traditional pageant, one with runways, tiaras and talent segments. Talk about fun. I've been to pageants like these before. In them, everyone wins some sort of prize, which is good to build up self-esteem, something your baby will need truckloads of in the years ahead.

The best reason for entering online photography contests is this: should your baby win, there his or her photo will remain for all the world to see, especially the top brass of the modeling agencies, who patrol these very sites looking for the next great baby model. And who should they find? The more contests you enter, the more exposure and the greater the chance of getting noticed. Baby modeling contract...in the bag.

One of the biggest exposure inducers around is the infamous cutest baby contest. The title alone draws more onlookers, including other moms who can't believe it is not their own baby being considered, but especially modeling and talent agencies on the look out for the cutest baby to adorn the next magazine cover or prance around in a television commercial wearing the latest fashions. So the cutest baby contest should definitely be at the top of your agenda as you seek exposure and try to get your cutest baby noticed by all the right people. There are several such contests online.

One often overlooked criteria when considering whether or not to raise a baby model in your household is how your baby reacts to this life. In other words, is your baby generally happy most of the time? And more importantly, is your baby easy to get along with and gets along well with others? If not, don't bother. Shy, irritable, hard-to-get-along-with babies don't get hired.

The other place to look at, and one that most parents don't even bother with, is themselves. The parents. Are they even up to the challenge of being a baby model parent? This in and of itself is a very challenging career, more than full time. But if you are overbearing and hard to work with, the deal is off. There will be no following the yellow brick road for this Dorothy. No modeling agency will ever hire a baby whose parents are not fun to be around and make things difficult for everyone.

Lastly, if you feel that all of the above doesn't pertain to you, great. Then the only other area to consider when helping your child pursue that career in baby modeling is this: watch out for disreputable people who do not have the best interest of you or your baby in mind. Deal only with accredited agencies who handle legitimate opportunities for you.