Objective: To examine how the dietary patterns of children at various time points throughout childhood relate to estimated nutrient intakes. Design: FFQ at 3, 4, 7 and 9 years of age were completed by mothers. Dietary patterns were identified cross-sectionally using principal component analysis; 'processed', 'health conscious' and 'traditional' patterns were consistently obtained. Correlations between pattern scores and nutrient intakes and proportions of variance in nutrients explained by the patterns were calculated. Setting: Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), Bristol, UK. Subjects: Children provided data between 3 and 9 years of age (n 8010 to 10 023). Results: Dietary patterns explained substantial proportions of the variance of the absolute intake for most nutrients (.25 % at 3 years of age, .40 % other ages). After energy adjustment, protein, fibre, K, Mg, Fe, Zn, folate, thiamin and vitamin B 6 continued to be well explained. Strong correlations were observed between the 'processed' pattern and macronutrients including energy (r 5 0?481-0?619), total fat (r 5 0?529-0?662) and total sugar (r 5 0?475-0?693). However correlations with most micronutrients were reversed after energy adjustment, suggesting that the 'processed' pattern is energy-dense but nutrient-poor. The 'health conscious' and 'traditional' patterns were strongly positively correlated with protein, fibre and most micronutrients, whether energy adjusted or not. Higher scores on these patterns were associated with a better nutrient profile. Conclusions: Dietary patterns explain a reasonable amount of the variation in the nutrient content of diets. Higher scores on the 'health conscious' and 'traditional' dietary patterns were related to better nutrient profiles; conversely, with higher scores on the 'processed' pattern the nutrient profile was poorer.