The construction of child-friendly cities has become a global issue, and the diverse needs of children during their growth has attracted widespread attention. This study uses CiteSpace 6.4.1 to perform a visual analysis of 966 papers published from 2004 to 2024 in the SSCI, SCI, ESCI, and A&HCI citation indexes of the Web of Science database. First, the study analyzes the publication trends over the past two decades in the context of different citation indexes and research fields. Then, we identify influential journals, institutions, countries, author institutions, and funding agencies within this domain. Additionally, this study uses the visualized results to outline the core keywords and research themes in child-friendly city research, clarifying the development trajectory of the field and identifying future research priorities and hotspots. The results derived from CiteSpace and bibliometric analysis will assist future researchers and practitioners in a better understanding of the comprehensive framework of child-friendly city research, thereby advancing the progress of child-friendly city construction under the broader context of sustainable urban development.