Background Childhood eating patterns play a crucial role in shaping long-term health and well-being, underscoring the importance of reliable assessment tools. The Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ) is a widely used parent-report measure that has been validated across numerous languages and populations. This study examines the validity of an Italian version of the CEBQ for use in Italian-speaking populations.Methods Using a cross-sectional design, 184 children (51.6% males) aged 4–12 years were recruited from both clinical and community settings. Parents completed the CEBQ to report their child’s eating behaviors across the “food liking” and four “food avoiding” subscales. In a subgroup of parents, the questionnaire was administered twice (after one month) for test-retest reliability assessment. Factorial analysis was performed to test questionnaire structure consistency with the original CEBQ. Children’s height and weight were recorded to calculate BMI and BMI z-scores.Results The test-retest analysis confirmed the reliability of the questionnaires. The r spearman correlation between the two administrations ranged from 0.54 to 0.77. The ICCs ranged from 0.62 to 0.796. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) identified eight principal components (matching the original questionnaire structure) with a total explained variance of 66.8%. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin value (0.832) indicated adequate sampling, and Bartlett’s test was significant, confirming sufficient correlations for factor analysis. The Exploratory Factor Analysis further supported the extraction of eight factors, consistent with the PCA findings.Conclusions This Italian version of the CEBQ is a valid and reliable instrument for the evaluation of eating behaviours in Italian children and adolescents.