Eating and mealtime problems are common in childhood. They occur across a broad age span, in normally developing children and in a wide variety of developmental and medical disorders. There is no currently available standard instrument by which to assess these problems. The Children's Eating Behavior Inventory (CEBI) was developed according to a conceptual framework based upon a transactional/systemic understanding of parent-child relationships. It was completed by 206 mothers of nonclinic children and 110 mothers of clinic children. Results of test-retest and internal reliability testing indicate that the CEBI meets criteria for instrument reliability. Construct validity is demonstrated by the significant difference between the clinic and nonclinic groups in the mean total eating problem score and in the mean number of items perceived to be a problem.