At 11 months old, Grace Wilson had already appeared in ads for global brands like Ralph Lauren and Carter?s when she landed a highly coveted gig as a model for Baby Gap?s holiday campaign. From an outsized billboard in Times Square to transit ads in Hong Kong, her image was plastered around the world. Sporting a pom-pom-embellished beanie and a winsome expression, Grace was catapulted to international baby-modelling stardom?and it?s easy to see why.

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6 things I learned about baby modelling when my kid shot a Gap adBut if you think little Grace cashed in, you?re wrong. Her total earnings amounted to US$450. Oh, and that?s before the agent?s 15 percent commission. And so it goes in the wacky world of child modelling and acting, where your kid may earn as little as $50 for a one-hour photo shoot or tens of thousands of dollars for a commercial that plays across the United States. That?s an important takeaway for parents who dream of their little one striking it rich in the business: Even if your kid is lucky enough to land gigs, don?t expect to hit pay dirt.
?Go into the whole thing expecting to make zero dollars and hope to make that $100,000 commercial,? says Liz McKinnon, a Vancouver-based talent agent with Boss Management, whose Boss Babies di...