Boutique guide · Winter
Newborn winter hats: pompom hat, bonnet, peaked cap or flat cap?
What each shape covers, when to use it and when to take it off, with guidance from paediatricians and neonatologists. Plus how to handle ties, christenings and matching sets.
By The Noi da piccoli boutiqueUpdated November 20266 min read
What's the difference between a bonnet, a pompom hat, a peaked cap and a flat cap?
Our autumn–winter catalogue has around 300 hats, and almost 150 of them come in sizes up to 18 months. The main difference between them is the shape, and the shape decides two things: whether the ears stay covered and whether there are ties to knot. The table below shows the four shapes, from the warmest to the smartest.
| Shape | What it covers | When to wear it | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonnet | The head, the back of the neck and the ears. It fastens under the chin with ties. | Walks on cold days, especially in the first few months, in the pram or in your arms. | A soft bow, never tight around the neck, and only while your baby is awake and an adult is with them (AAP). Take it off indoors. |
| Pompom hat | The head and, if it's deep enough, the ears. | Everyday outings, in the pushchair or in your arms. | No ties: it goes on and comes off in a moment. Check now and then that it's still covering the ears. |
| Peaked cap | The top of the head, with the peak shielding the forehead. The ears are usually left out. | Outings with slightly older children. In velveteen, ceremonies too. | On the coldest days a bonnet is warmer, because it covers the ears. |
| Flat cap | The top of the head. It doesn't keep the ears warm. | Christenings, ceremonies, photos. | It finishes the outfit but doesn't keep your baby warm. For the journey in the cold you need a warm hat, and indoors it comes off (NHS). |
Almost 20 styles have a pompom. Juliana puts one on its warm-yarn hats for the first few months, GiO Higuamy on its wool hats with a fox-fur pompom, and Mayoral on its knitted and cable-knit wool hats for older children.
With a pompom
When does a newborn need a hat, and when should it come off?
A hat is something to wear outdoors. Paediatricians and health services point to three moments.
- Outdoors, in the cold. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends a hat, gloves and socks over thin layers of clothing, and taking off any wet layers straight away. It also notes that young children need one more layer than an adult would wear in the same conditions. For the layers under the hat, see our guide on how to dress a newborn in winter. For the pushchair, there's our guide to the winter blanket.
- As soon as you go indoors. At home, in a shop or in the car, the NHS advises taking off hats and extra layers straight away, even if your baby is asleep, because overheating should be avoided. The NHS Start for Life guide says the same.
- At bedtime. The Italian Society of Neonatology (Società Italiana di Neonatologia) recommends an uncovered head, light clothing and a room temperature of between 19 and 21 °C.
To check whether your baby is too hot under the hat, the NHS suggests feeling their chest or the back of their neck. Cool hands and feet are normal. If the back of the neck is sweaty, take the hat off or open their jacket.
Is it safe to use a bonnet with ties?
Yes, with a little care. The AAP advises avoiding ribbons or strings that could knot or wrap around the neck, as well as anything tied tightly around the arms, legs or neck. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby, the service funded by the Australian government, adds that you should remove any dangling ribbons or decorations. In practice:
- tie the strings in a soft bow that doesn't press under the chin;
- use the bonnet while your baby is awake and an adult is watching them: out on a walk, in your arms, in the pram;
- when you get back indoors, or if your baby falls asleep inside, undo the bow and take the bonnet off;
- if you'd rather avoid ties altogether, a pompom hat or a beret simply pulls on.
We have around thirty bonnets, from about €11 to €79: Juliana's warm-yarn bonnets, some embroidered, Ponto Por Ponto, and GiO Higuamy's wool bonnets with one or two pompoms.
Bonnets
Is a wool hat or a brushed-cotton hat better?
More than 100 hats in our catalogue are made of wool, from about €17 to €90. GiO Higuamy also blends wool with cashmere, and Marlù pairs it with a pompom. If you'd rather avoid wool, Mayoral and Juliana make hats in brushed cotton and warm yarn.
Brushed cotton, as the Italian magazine Nostrofiglio describes it, is a jersey or interlock that has been brushed. Brushing raises tiny fibres and makes the fabric softer and fluffier, on the inside or the outside. It's designed to keep your baby warm without making them sweat.
Also in wool are GiO Higuamy's pompom berets, a shape halfway between a hat and a flat cap, in sizes starting from 0–6 months.
In wool
What hat should a baby boy wear for a winter christening?
For the ceremony, our boutique has flat caps in satin, velvet and velveteen from Ponto Por Ponto and Marlù, as well as Ponto Por Ponto's velveteen peaked caps in white, dove grey, sky blue and avion blue. They finish the outfit beautifully, but they usually leave the ears uncovered.
The magazine Nostrofiglio suggests dressing children for a ceremony according to the season, the time of day and the role they'll play, and bringing at least one change of clothes for under-threes. In winter, the same goes for the hat: a bonnet or a warm hat for the journey and for waiting outside, and the flat cap or peaked cap for the photos. In church and at the reception, indoors, the hat comes off.
For something to wear over the outfit, see our guide on how to choose a children's coat.
How do you choose the right hat size?
Almost all our hats come in a specific size rather than one size fits all. And sizes aren't all written the same way: in months (0, 1, 3, 6 months), in age ranges (0–6 months, 6–18 months, 18 months–3 years) or, for flat caps and peaked caps, numbered from 44 to 50. To find the right size for a particular style, message us on WhatsApp with your child's age, height and weight, Monday to Saturday, 9am–1pm and 4pm–8pm.
Babies grow quickly, and Pregnancy, Birth and Baby recommends buying only a few items in each size. For hats, that means choosing one or two per size, with the outings you'll actually be making in mind.
Is a hat with a matching scarf or gloves worth it?
We have around a dozen sets, from about €20 to €46, by Mayoral and Juliana: a hat with mittens, a hat with a scarf, or all three together. They're handy if you want the colours already coordinated. Two things to keep in mind:
- Gloves and mittens: check that they have no loops or loose threads that could wrap around little fingers (Pregnancy, Birth and Baby).
- Scarf: to be on the safe side, treat it like the ties on a bonnet. It's for outdoors while your baby is awake, and it comes off together with the hat as soon as you get back inside.
With a matching scarf or gloves
All our winter hats and accessories:
The guidance in this article comes from the sources listed below and is not a substitute for your paediatrician's advice. If you have any concerns about your baby, ask them.
Sources
- American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org, ‘Winter Safety’
- American Academy of Pediatrics, ‘Winter Safety Tips: Puffy Coats Should Not Be Worn in Car Seats’
- American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org, ‘Tips for Dressing Your Baby’, 2016
- NHS, ‘Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)’, reviewed November 2025
- NHS Start for Life, ‘How to dress a newborn’
- Italian Society of Neonatology (Società Italiana di Neonatologia), advice on newborn sleep, reported by LaPresse, 13 March 2026
- Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian government), ‘Dressing a newborn’, reviewed October 2025
- Nostrofiglio (Italian magazine), ‘Ciniglia e caldo cotone’ (Chenille and brushed cotton), 28 March 2024
- Nostrofiglio (Italian magazine), ‘Come vestire i bambini per una cerimonia’ (How to dress children for a ceremony), April 2022
The right hat for every outing
Bonnets, pompom hats, peaked caps and flat caps from GiO Higuamy, Juliana, Mayoral, Ponto Por Ponto, Marlù and Baby Gi, with free shipping in Italy from €99 and returns within 14 days of delivery. For help with sizing, message us on WhatsApp with your child's age, height and weight.
