Newborns with cute tiny hats are a piece of heaven on Earth. This hat protects them from the weather, but it also makes them look more adorable. If you want to make the most of this time in a baby’s life, you can make a unique hat for your little one. Whether you’re planning to give it as a gift or to dress up your baby, we will teach you some simple steps on how to knit a newborn baby hat.
Fun DIY: Knitting A New Born Baby’s Hat
Things you need:
- US 13 circular knitting needles in 16-inches (from tip to tip)
- Four pieces of US 13 double pointed needles
- Yarn (color-changing yarn)
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
- Stitch marker
Tip: Use a color-changing yarn so you can add color to your newborn’s baby hat. Should you choose to switch yarns midway, make sure you select a super bulky number 6 for consistency.
Steps in Knitting a Baby Hat:
Step 1 – Cast on 36 stitches using a long-tail cast-on.
Step 2 – When you finish casting all 36 stitches, spread them on your circulars.
Step 3 – Hold the working yarn in your hand (dominant hand or non-dominant hand – whichever is comfortable).
Note: you can use a non-dominant hand to knit and purl, which is called a continental style
Step 4 – Knit the first stitch.
Step 5 – Mark your first stitch using a stitch marker.
Tip: Stitch markers will help you track the beginning of the round.
You can use a bobby pin or a ring as a stitch marker from round 1 to 5, knit one and purl one. This makes knowing how to knit a newborn baby hat easier to do.
Step 6 – From round 6 to 16: knit each stitch.
Step 7 – Prepare your four pieces of US 13 double pointed needles so you can knit the crown.
Step 8 – You will notice that as you decrease in stitch count, it will become more difficult for you to fit the yarn around your circular needles. At this point, you can no longer knit anymore. This is when you start using your double-pointed needles.
Step 9 – Begin round 17 using one of the double-pointed needles so you can start working on the first 12 stitches.
Step 10 – Knit 4 and knit 2 together, which is a total of 6 stitches.
Step 11 – Get the second double pointed needle and knit 4 and knit 2 together and repeat.
Step 12 – Use the third double pointed needle and knit four and knit two together and repeat.
Step 13 – For round 18 knit 3 and knit 2 together using your fourth double pointed needle.
Step 14 – When you empty a double-pointed needle, you can use the free needle from any of the remaining three to knit off the next needle.
Step 15 – For round 19 knit 2 and knit 2 together.
Step 16 – For round 20 knit 1 and knit 2 together.
Step 17 – Round 21 is your final round and knit 2 together for the remaining stitches.
Step 18 – Fasten off the hat.
Step 19 – Leave an 8-inch tail so you can secure the opening.
It’s simple! Now you know how to knit a newborn baby hat for gifts or for your baby. One won’t be enough, so start making more using the same pattern.
Reminders: Hats On Newborn Babies
It’s exciting to finally have a hat ready for your baby, but before we start giving them away as gifts or using them on our babies, we need to understand a thing or two about babies and their hats.
Note: Always consult a doctor immediately if you have concerns about your baby’s temperature.
- Bundling up your baby too well may cause the infant to overheat. Always practice caution when wrapping babies up, especially indoors.
- Newborn babies should not wear hats to sleep. Wearing hats could be fatal to newborn babies because a hat could become a choking hazard.
- Use a sun hat for babies during the summer. The protection will be more from the sun than from chills.
Important: Babies with a body temperature of 97.6 degrees Fahrenheit or below might need to be bundled up a bit.
Benefits Not Wearing Hats
Newborn babies are so fragile, which is why we can’t help dressing them up. Part of learning how to knit a newborn baby hat is to understand when these hats are unnecessary to them. Although it’s reasonable to see newborn babies wear hats, they should not be wearing them all the time. These are some of the reasons:
- Hats can cover the oxytocin that triggers the newborn baby smell.
- The newborn smell that everyone loves creates a response in the mother’s brain that allows them to bond.
- Soak up the scent of your newborn baby from time to time.
Fun fact: The smell of a new baby helps the mother expel the placenta from her uterus. It causes a contraction in a mother’s uterus so that the entire birth works well.
The Importance Of Skin To Skin Contact
Newborn babies don’t necessarily need hats to be warm after birth. Your body temperature is essential during the hours after birth because your body temperature helps the baby regulate his own body temperature. During this skin-to-skin contact, your body adjusts to your baby’s temperature. Studies show that this skin-to-skin contact has a variety of advantages for you and your baby:
- better thermal regulation
- faster separation of the placenta
- improved breastfeeding rates
- prevents post parts hemorrhage in mothers
This contact is not possible for all cases. These bonding moments are ideal for well-mothers and their babies. Get more tips on baby clothes.
Conclusion
Knowing how to knit a newborn baby hat is more than just wanting to customize a piece of wardrobe for your baby. Hats are also a form of protection for them. But babies, fragile as they are, each need a unique form of care. As a parent, it is your responsibility to know them well enough to identify their needs, even if it means putting a cute hat on hold for a while.