Crochet Hat for Newborns Free Pattern: 5 Hats Sized Right
The average newborn head is bigger than most newborn hat patterns say. The WHO growth standards put the median head at birth at 33.9 cm for girls and 34.5 cm for boys, which is about 13.3 in and 13.6 in, yet newborn patterns from large yarn companies print 12 in or 12.5 in as the head size to fit. This crochet hat for newborns free pattern guide checks five free patterns against those measurements, gives the stitch count for your gauge, and ends with a step by step method. Where a designer publishes no number, we say so.
In this guide
- Newborn hat size
- The five hats side by side
- Five free patterns
- Hook size
- Stitches around
- Step by step
- Where it goes wrong
- Safety
- FAQ
- Where to go next
- Sources
How big is a newborn crochet hat?
A newborn crochet hat should fit a head of roughly 13.3 in to 13.6 in, and the hat itself is usually made a little smaller so it stretches on. Those head figures are the WHO medians at birth. The normal range is wide: the WHO lower line (minus two standard deviations) sits at 31.5 cm for girls and 31.9 cm for boys, and the upper line at 36.2 cm and 37.0 cm.
Here is the catch. A 12 in head is 30.5 cm, below the WHO lower line for both girls (12.4 in) and boys (12.6 in). So read a pattern’s “12 in head” as the finished hat, stretch already taken off. Measure a newborn at 13.5 in, add ease on top, and the hat comes out loose.
The Craft Yarn Council chart jumps from Preemie, 9 to 12 in, straight to Baby, 14 to 16 in, with no newborn row, so a typical newborn falls in the gap.
| Measurement | Girls | Boys | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head at birth, median | 33.9 cm (13.3 in) | 34.5 cm (13.6 in) | WHO |
| Head at birth, lower line | 31.5 cm | 31.9 cm | WHO |
| Head at week 13, median | 39.5 cm (15.6 in) | 40.5 cm (15.9 in) | WHO |
| Preemie head range | 9 to 12 in | Craft Yarn Council | |
| Baby head range | 14 to 16 in | Craft Yarn Council | |
The five free newborn hats, side by side
Four of the five hats use medium weight (category 4) yarn and a hook between 4.5 mm and 5.5 mm. Only one prints how much yarn the hat uses. The table shows the newborn size only, exactly as each designer publishes it.
| Pattern | Newborn size printed | Yarn | Hook | Gauge | Yarn per hat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preemie to Toddler Size Hats (Caron) | head 12 in, no hat size | Caron Kindness, category 4 | 5 mm (H/8) | 13 sc per 4 in | not printed; 1 ball makes 8 |
| Baby’s First Cluster Hat (Caron) | head 12.5 in, height about 4.5 in | Caron Simply Soft, category 4 | 4.5 mm (size 7) | 14 sc per 4 in | not printed; 1 ball makes about 7 |
| Newborn Double Crochet Hat (Oombawka Design) | hat 13.5 in around, 5 in tall | Red Heart With Love, category 4 | 5.5 mm (I) | 3 dc per inch | 35.5 yd (32.4 m), 19 g |
| Easy Ribbed Brim Baby Hat (Okie Girl Bling ‘n’ Things) | hat 11 in around, 4.75 in tall | I Love This Yarn, category 4 | 5 mm (H) | 12 dc per 4 in | not printed |
| Simple Newborn Baby Hat (LisaAuch Crochet) | head 13 in, hat 12 to 12.5 in, 4.5 to 5.5 in crown to ear | DK, line not named | 3.5 mm | not printed | not printed |
Five free crochet hat for newborns patterns
All five are worked top down in the round, so the fit is set by where you stop increasing. We link to each designer’s page and never copy the pattern.
1. Newborn Double Crochet Hat, Oombawka Design Crochet
Rhondda Mol’s Newborn Double Crochet Hat is the only one here that prints both finished size and yarn used: 13.5 in around and 5 in tall, from 35.5 yd (32.4 m) of Red Heart With Love. It fits a 13.5 to 14 in head, so there is almost no negative ease. Optional bear ears.
2. Easy Ribbed Brim Baby Hat, Okie Girl Bling ‘n’ Things
Kylee Keller’s Easy Ribbed Brim Baby Hat comes in five sizes with finished measurements: 11 in around and 4.75 in tall for newborn, 13 in for 0 to 3 months, with a front post rib brim. No head sizes or yardage, so choose by hat size, not age.
3. Simple Newborn Baby Hat, LisaAuch Crochet
Lisa Auch’s Simple Newborn Baby Hat is a single crochet spiral and the clearest page on ease: a 13 in head gets a 12 to 12.5 in hat, 4.5 to 5.5 in from crown to ear. It uses DK with a 3.0, 3.5 or 4.0 mm hook but names no yarn line, gauge or yardage, and advises no buttons on hats given to hospitals.
4. Baby’s First Cluster Hat, Caron
Caron’s Baby’s First Cluster Hat lists head sizes of 8.5, 11, 12.5 and 14 in, newborn being 12.5 in (7 to 9 lb), about 4.5 in tall. Gauge is in single crochet but the hat is double crochet clusters, so check the crown circle instead. One ball of Caron Simply Soft (315 yd, 288 m) makes about 7 newborn hats.
5. Preemie to Toddler Size Crochet Hats, Caron
Caron’s Preemie to Toddler Size Crochet Hats is single crochet, newborn set for a 12 in head, with no finished size and no 0 to 3 month size. One ball of Caron Kindness (345 yd, 315 m, 198 g) makes 8 newborn hats, but the yarn is listed under discontinued shades. Round 5 says half double crochet where the stitches are single crochet; follow the stitches.
Why newborn hat patterns use a smaller hook than the label
Newborn hat designers go down a hook size on purpose, and four of these five patterns sit below the Craft Yarn Council range for their yarn. The council recommends 5.5 to 6.5 mm for medium weight yarn. Caron’s hats use 5 mm and 4.5 mm, the Okie Girl hat uses 5 mm, and Red Heart With Love (370 yd, 338 m, 198 g) prints 6.5 mm on its own label while the Oombawka hat uses 5.5 mm. The DK hat uses 3.5 mm against a council range of 4.5 to 5.5 mm.
These are printed choices, not misreads, and they give a denser fabric with smaller gaps. Match the designer’s gauge, not your label: with the label hook every round is wider and the hat outgrows newborn size.
How many stitches around a newborn hat needs
The same 13.5 in newborn hat needs 40 stitches around at 12 dc per 4 in, but 47 stitches at 14 sc per 4 in. That is why a stitch count copied into another yarn fails. We calculated these from each designer’s printed gauge and a 13.5 in finished size; nothing was made.
| Gauge (as printed) | Pattern | Stitches around a 13.5 in hat |
|---|---|---|
| 3 dc per inch | Oombawka Design | 40 |
| 12 dc per 4 in | Okie Girl Bling ‘n’ Things | 40 |
| 13 sc per 4 in | Caron Preemie to Toddler | 44 |
| 14 sc per 4 in | Caron Cluster Hat | 47 |
The crown works the same way. A hat is a tube with a flat circle on top, and a circle’s diameter is its circumference divided by pi (3.14). So the flat crown of a 13.5 in hat must measure 4.3 in across, a 12 in hat 3.8 in, and an 11 in hat 3.5 in. Measuring that circle is the fastest fit check there is.
How much yarn a newborn hat takes
Only the Oombawka hat prints yardage: 35.5 yd. Caron’s hats per ball cap the rest: 345 yd for 8 hats is at most 43 yd each, and 315 yd for about 7 hats at most 45 yd, waste included. One ball covers a newborn hat with plenty left.
How to crochet a newborn hat step by step
This method builds a plain double crochet newborn hat from your own gauge and the published sizes above. It is a calculation, not a tested pattern, so check the measurement in each step.
- Swatch first. With soft medium weight yarn and a 5 mm hook, work a double crochet square and count stitches across 4 in. Divide by 4 for stitches per inch.
- Choose the finished size. Pick 12 in to 13.5 in around, the range these designers print. Smaller is snugger.
- Find the stitches around. Multiply circumference by stitches per inch. At 3 dc per inch, a 13.3 in hat needs 40 stitches.
- Find the increase multiple. Divide the stitches around by 4. That is your starting count and what you add each round: for 40 stitches, 10.
- Work the crown. Make a magic ring and work 10 dc into it. Round 2: 2 dc in every stitch (20). Round 3: 2 dc in one stitch, 1 dc in the next, around (30). Round 4: 2 dc in one, 1 dc in the next two, around (40). Join each round with a slip stitch.
- Measure the circle. Laid flat, the crown should be about 4.3 in across for a 13.5 in hat, 3.8 in for 12 in. Too small, add an increase round; too big, go down a hook and restart.
- Work the body. Stop increasing. Work 1 dc in every stitch each round until the hat is 4.5 to 5 in from the crown centre.
- Finish the brim. Make the last inch firmer: single crochet rounds, or alternating front post and back post double crochet for a rib.
- Fasten off securely. Weave each end through several stitches, changing direction twice. No ties, strings or pompom.
For a different gauge, redo steps 3 and 4, rounding to a number that divides by 4. The shortcut only suits double crochet, whose tall rounds widen the circle fast. Single crochet crowns need more, smaller increase rounds, so for those follow a Caron pattern instead.
Where a newborn crochet hat goes wrong
Two failures account for most newborn hats that never get worn, and both show up at the crown, long before the brim.
The crown ruffles. Too many stitches make the circle wave instead of lying flat, and the hat flares at the top. Usual causes: a hook one size too big, or loose stitches in the magic ring. Measure after every increase round and stop once you pass the target diameter.
The crown cups and the brim curls. Too few stitches make the circle bowl upward early, so the body starts narrow and the brim rides up. Causes: tight tension or a skipped increase. If it cups before 3.8 in across, add an increase round.
When a newborn should not wear the hat
A crochet hat is for outings, not for sleep or for indoors. The AAP’s parent guide on HealthyChildren.org says not to put a hat on a baby indoors once home from the hospital, and warns that overheating can increase the risk of SIDS. The NIH Safe to Sleep campaign says the same: take the hat off inside and keep the head and face uncovered during sleep.
Leave off ties and strings. The CPSC’s crib safety publication reports infants strangled by strings, cords and ribbons around the neck. The small parts rule exempts clothing, so pompoms and buttons are legal, but anything that can come loose near a newborn’s mouth is easy to skip. Beyond the hat, follow your paediatrician, not a craft site.
Crochet hat for newborns FAQ
What size is a crochet hat for a newborn?
Make the finished hat 12 to 13.5 in around and 4.5 to 5 in tall. The median newborn head is 13.3 in for girls and 13.6 in for boys by WHO figures, and the hat is usually a little smaller so it stretches on.
How many stitches around is a newborn hat?
It depends on gauge: about 40 stitches at 3 dc per inch, 44 at 13 sc per 4 in and 47 at 14 sc per 4 in, for a 13.5 in hat. Multiply your circumference by your stitches per inch.
How much yarn does a newborn crochet hat use?
The one pattern that prints it uses 35.5 yd (32.4 m) of medium weight yarn. Caron’s hats work out to no more than 43 to 45 yd each, from their stated hats per ball.
What hook size is best for a newborn hat?
With medium weight yarn, these designers use 4.5 to 5.5 mm, below the 5.5 to 6.5 mm the Craft Yarn Council recommends for that weight. With DK, one designer uses 3.5 mm. Match the pattern’s gauge rather than the label.
Can a newborn sleep in a crochet hat?
No. The AAP and the NIH Safe to Sleep campaign both advise taking a baby’s hat off indoors and keeping the head uncovered during sleep, because overheating can increase the risk of SIDS.
How long does a newborn hat fit?
A few weeks. By week 13 the WHO median head is 39.5 cm for girls and 40.5 cm for boys, about 6 cm more than at birth, so plan a 0 to 3 month size next.
Where to go next
Keep the newborn set going with the rest of the baby collection.
- Baby Clothes
- Crochet baby shoes free pattern, the matching piece
- Crochet for Baby
- Free blanket patterns
- Moss stitch, a dense stitch that suits a hat body
Sources
- WHO Child Growth Standards, head circumference for age, girls 0 to 13 weeks and boys 0 to 13 weeks
- Craft Yarn Council, head circumference chart
- Oombawka Design Crochet, Newborn Double Crochet Hat
- Okie Girl Bling ‘n’ Things, Easy Ribbed Brim Baby Hat
- LisaAuch Crochet, Simple Newborn Baby Hat
- Caron, Baby’s First Cluster Hat and Preemie to Toddler Size Crochet Hats
- Yarn labels: Red Heart With Love, Caron Simply Soft, Caron Kindness
- AAP, safe sleep guide
- NIH NICHD, Safe to Sleep
- CPSC, Publication 5095 and small parts guidance
