Background <p>While circadian eating patterns seem to be involved in the aetiology of obesity in adulthood. Little is known about tracking of such patterns from infancy to pre- and primary school age and their prospective impact on body composition.</p> Methods <p>Based on data from the Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed (DONALD) Study we investigated whether circadian eating patterns in infancy (0–1 years) (1) track to pre- (3–4 years) or primary-school age (6–7 years) and (2) are associated with body composition at primary-school age, using multivariable linear regression models. Circadian patterns were extracted from 3-day weighed dietary records (<i>n</i> = 3,780 records from <i>n</i> = 510 children) and related to body mass index standard deviation scores (BMI-SDS), fat mass index (FMI) and fat free mass index (FFMI).</p> Results <p>Circadian eating patterns [i.e. eating occasion frequency (n/day), duration of nightly fasting (min), percentage of total energy intake from meals and snacks (%)] except carbohydrate intake after 6 p.m. track from infancy to pre- and primary school age (all <i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). Sensitivity analyses stratified by breastfeeding duration (exclusive breastfed ≥ 4 months, yes/no) showed that the extent of tracking was less pronounced for ≥ 4 months breastfeeding. There were no significant associations between any aspect of circadian eating patterns in infancy and BMI-SDS or body composition during primary-school age (all <i>p</i> &gt; 0.05).</p> Conclusions <p>Our data suggest that circadian eating pattern in pre- and primary school age are shaped in infancy. However, this tracking of circadian eating pattern in childhood does not appear to have any health relevance with regard to BMI-SDS or body composition.</p>