Objective To understand the current status and influencing factors of quality of life at different post-operative stages，of children with congenital heart disease (CHD), and to provide a basis for formulating stage specific nursing intervention plans. Methods The Chinese version of PedsQLTM3.0 heart module was used to investigate the quality of life of 95 children with congenital heart disease and 95 caregivers who were treated with surgery at 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after surgery. Results The quality of life of children with congenital heart disease was low within 3 months after operation, and the overall quality of life level showed an upward trend within 12 months after operation, and there were statistically significant differences in scores at three time points (P<0.05 for all). Paired comparison with parent reports showed that there were significant differences in cardiac symptoms, treatment-related problems, and treatment-related anxiety problems (P<0.05 for all). The main influencing factors of postoperative quality of life in children with congenital heart disease at different stages include the role of the main caregiver, the occupation of the main caregiver, the education level of the main caregiver, the family living situation, the delay in seeking medical treatment, the number of children in the family, the family economic status, and the main caregiver′s disease cognition and postoperative complications (P<0.05 for all). Conclusion The overall quality of life of CHD children is at a moderate level within 12 months after surgery, and the level of quality of life and influencing factors change dynamically over time. Parent report can in principle represent quality of life of children, though, parent report in dimensions of cardiac symptoms and treatment related problems, and treatment related anxiety, should be viewed with caution. It is recommended that medical staff pay attention to early identification of the main factors affecting the quality of life of children at different stages, and formulate effective intervention measures to improve the quality of life of the children after surgery.