This crochet baby bear hat pattern is a quick, easy newborn beanie that takes about an hour to make and works up beautifully in any worsted weight yarn. The simple front-post / back-post brim creates a soft ribbed band, and two little ear appliqués transform a basic baby hat into the most adorable little bear hat you’ve ever made. Perfect for baby gifts, hospital photo props, newborn photography, or for participating in the Little Hats, Big Hearts charity program.

If you’ve never crocheted a baby hat before, this is a great first one to try. The construction is straightforward — a simple round crown, a few rounds of body, a ribbed brim, and two tiny ears sewn on at the end. Once you’ve made one, you’ll likely make ten — they’re that quick, that satisfying, and that addictively cute.

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Why You’ll Love This Crochet Baby Bear Hat Pattern

• Beginner friendly — uses only basic stitches (hdc, dc, fpdc, bpdc) and a magic circle
• Quick to make — about an hour from start to finish
• Newborn sized — perfect for hospital gifts, photo props, and charity contributions
• Adjustable — easily scale up for larger sizes by adding rounds
• Tiny yarn requirements — uses small amounts, ideal for stash-busting
• Endlessly customizable — change yarn color and you instantly have a different animal hat (gray for koala, brown for bear, beige for kitten)

Make This Hat for Little Hats, Big Hearts

The American Heart Association’s Little Hats, Big Hearts program delivers handmade red hats to babies born in February (American Heart Month) to raise awareness about congenital heart defects and women’s heart disease. This crochet baby bear hat pattern is a perfect fit for the program — it works up quickly in newborn sizing, and a batch of red hats with little ears makes a meaningful contribution.

If you’re participating in Little Hats, Big Hearts in your local area, please share photos of your hats and tag @seeloveshare on Instagram — I love seeing the makes and which states they’re going to.

Skill Level

Easy. If you’re comfortable with magic circles and basic crochet stitches (hdc, dc, fpdc, bpdc), you can make this baby bear hat.

Materials

• Worsted weight (#4) yarn of your choice — try Red Heart Super Saver in any color (red for Little Hats, Big Hearts, or brown/gray for a classic bear look)
• Size H (5.0 mm) crochet hook
• Scissors
• Tapestry needle for sewing on ears and weaving in ends

Abbreviations

• ch — chain
• hdc — half double crochet
• dc — double crochet
• fpdc — front post double crochet
• bpdc — back post double crochet
• sl st — slip stitch
• rnd — round
• st — stitch

Pattern Notes

This crochet baby bear hat pattern is worked in rounds. The chain 2 at the beginning of each round does not count as the first hdc throughout the pattern. Asterisks (*) indicate repeat instructions around the round.

Crochet Baby Bear Hat Pattern Instructions

The Crown

• Round 1: Start with a magic circle, ch 2, work 11 hdc into the circle. Pull the circle closed and sl st to the top of the ch 2.
• Round 2: Ch 2, *(2 hdc, 1 hdc)* repeat around, sl st to the top of the ch 2 (18 sts).
• Round 3: Ch 2, *(2 hdc, 1 hdc, 1 hdc)* repeat around, sl st to the top of the ch 2 (24 sts).
• Round 4: Ch 2, *(2 hdc, 1 hdc, 1 hdc, 1 hdc)* repeat around, sl st to the top of the ch 2 (30 sts).

Sizing checkpoint: At this point, the correct newborn sizing should measure 4 inches in diameter. You can add an additional round to increase for a larger hat. Each additional round follows the same pattern as the previous rounds:

Additional Round: ch 2, *(2 hdc, then increase by 1 hdc from the previous round)* sl st to the top of ch 2.

The Body

• Rounds 5–8: Ch 2, 1 hdc in each stitch around, sl st to the top of the ch 2.
• Round 9: Ch 2, 1 dc in each stitch around, sl st to the top of the ch 2.

The Ribbed Brim

• Rounds 10–11: Ch 2, *(fpdc in the first stitch, bpdc in the next) repeat around* sl st to the top of the ch 2.

Length checkpoint: A newborn hat should be between 4.5 and 5 inches in length (11.43–12.7 cm). Tie off and weave in the end.

The Bear Ears (Make 2)

• Round 1: Start with a magic circle, ch 1. Work 8 hdc stitches, do not join, work in the round (8 sts).
• Round 2: 2 hdc in each st (16 sts).
• Round 3: 1 hdc in the next 14 stitches. Ch 1, turn (14 sts).
• Round 4: 1 hdc in each of the next 5 sts, hdc decrease twice, 1 hdc in the next 5 sts.

Tie off, leaving a long tail for sewing.

Assembly

Position the ears about 1 inch apart on the top of the hat, with the flat edge facing down. Use the long tails to sew the ears securely to the hat — sew all the way around each ear so the inside of the magic circle stays closed. Weave in all remaining ends.

Tips for Success

A few notes from making dozens of these baby bear hats: keep your tension consistent — newborn hats are small, so any tightness or looseness shows. Use stitch markers at the start of each round if you’re new to working in continuous rounds. When sewing the ears on, position them slightly forward of center for the cutest look. If you’re making these for the Little Hats, Big Hearts charity, use 100% acrylic yarn that’s machine washable on warm — hospital laundry requires it. And always weave in your ends really securely on baby items, since tiny fingers find every loose strand.

Customizing Your Baby Bear Hat

Once you’ve made the basic baby bear hat, here are some easy ways to make it your own:

• Different animals — change the yarn color and you have a koala (gray), kitten (beige), panda (black ears on white hat), or fox (orange with white ear tips)
• Embroidered face — add a tiny black yarn nose and eyes for an extra-cute photo prop
• Larger sizes — add 1–2 rounds in the increase section for 3–6 month and 6–12 month sizes
• Pom pom topper — skip the ears and add a single pom pom for a different look entirely
• Striped version — alternate two yarn colors every 2 rounds for a cheerful striped baby hat

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Make a whole batch of these little bear hats and tag @seeloveshare on Instagram — I love seeing what you create! 🐻