The search is on and, up until the 18th of October, baby models and toddler models from 3 to 36 months old are excitedly being entered into this year’s Cover Cutie baby model competition. The competition is run by Australia’s Practical Parenting magazine, and 2011 will be its third year.

Genevieve Quigley, Editor of Practical Parenting, recently told presenters on Australia’s ‘The Morning Show’ that the magazine is expecting its highest number of entrants ever in 2011. This is because potential models can be entered by their parents online this year, simply by uploading images of them onto the Practical Parenting website.

Kimberly Booth, mum of previous winner Sophie Booth, was asked in an interview on the same show what her advice would be to other mums who would like to give their toddler or baby the chance to become a model. She replied: “Not to take it too seriously. Enjoy it, it’s about them. It’s a tremendous amount of fun and the end result is getting to walk in somewhere and get to see your child on the cover of a magazine, which we’ve done twice now, or opening up a magazine and ‘wow’ there she is. It’s just about fun.”

Having earned the title of Cover Cutie the winning tots will each receive a modelling contract, a cash prize and the chance to appear on the front cover of Practical Parenting magazine in January 2012. There are two main categories in the competition, 3 to 12 months and 1 to 3 years, and at Models Direct we have to agree that children are often at their cutest during these early years.

Child modelling is a growing phenomenon, with an abundance of products aimed at parents of young children on the market and the realisation from some advertisers that, even if your product has nothing whatsoever to do with young children, audiences still love to see them in advertising. You need only consider campaigns like those from ‘Evian’ or ‘Double Velvet’ to see that young children have a huge appeal to consumers and this is why so many parents are considering whether or not their child has what it takes to make it onto the cover of a magazine.

We can’t wait to see which baby and toddler models win the Practical Parenting Magazine’s Cover Cutie competition and will keep you updated later in the month when they are due to be announced!