Objective To establish a knowledge map of the research progress of child health communication at home and abroad from 2012 to 2021, and to track and analyze its research hotspots and development trend.

Methods The child health communication literatures were retrieved from the core database of China National Knowledge Network (CNKI) and Web of Science (WOS) from 2012 to 2021, and Citespace (6.1.R3) was used to analyze the number of publications, posting institutions and keywords.

Results A total of 408 papers from CNKI and 291 papers from WOS were retrieved. Domestic research mainly focused on the archives and management of children’s health status, the factors associated with family disease management, and the use of WeChat as an important communication channel and extended care to improve the therapeutic effect of children’s diseases. Foreign research focused on the communication and delivery of health information, the media role of parents in children’s health, the use of mass media such as internet and video games, and the development of models to help caregivers make health decisions.

Conclusion The research on child health communication in China has developed rapidly, which has changed from the traditional solid health communication mode to the new mode of interaction and commonalty acceptance. Foreign research on child health communication combines communication with public health, and covers the characteristics of diversified means of health communication and diversified application of communication theories. These findings provide a vigorous road map for further research in the field of child health communication.