Objective To investigate the risk factors for the recurrence of acute pancreatitis in children. Methods The clinical data of children with acute pancreatitis (AP) admitted to the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University from December 2010 to December 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. The children were divided into AP group and recurrent acute pancreatitis (RAP) group. The clinical characteristics of the two groups were compared, and the influencing factors of AP recurrence in children were analyzed. Results A total of 90 AP children (55 boys and 35 girls) were included, and the median age was 9.0 (6.0-12.0) years. In the RAP group, 24 patients recurred 6.6 (1.0-11.6) months after the first onset of AP, with a median age of 10.0 (7.0-12.0) years. The common causes of recurrence were idiopathic AP (9 cases, 37.5%), pancreatic anatomical abnormalities (7 cases, 29.2%) and biliary origin (5 cases, 20.8%). Among the 90 children with AP, 15 had severe AP, including 8 in RAP group and 7 in AP group. Among 90 AP children, the incidence of abdominal pain and vomiting were 83.3% and 32.2%. The incidence of pancreatic necrosis and pancreatic pseudocyst was 5.6% and 6.7%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that abnormal pancreatic anatomy and severe AP were independent risk factors for recurrence of AP in children (P<0.05), and idiopathic AP was an independent protective factor for recurrence of AP in children (P<0.05). Conclusions Patients with severe AP and abnormal pancreatic anatomy are prone to recurrence, which should be paid attention to by clinicians.