Objective To investigate preoperative fasting in children receiving elective surgery under the ERAS concept, and to provide reference for targeted intervention. Methods The sample included 356 infants and children aged 3 years or younger undergoing elective surgery and data were collected using a questionnaire developed by the researchers. Results The children were fed an average of 4.92（3.68，9.38） hours before the operation with clear liquids, 7.17（5.88，9.38） hours with breast milk, and 10.33（8.34，12.50） hours with formula milk, cow′s milk, or starches.About 39.33% of children cried because of fasting.The preoperative li-quid fasting duration differed by children′s age, parental gender and educational level (all P＜0.05).Parents were unaware of the purpose of preoperative fasting and the harm of prolonged preoperative fasting, and they also had biased perceptions of preoperative fasting duration for various foods. Conclusion The actual preoperative fasting duration in children having elective surgery is too long, causing some of the children to cry.Parents have insufficient knowledge of preoperative fasting, so targeted interventions should be taken to promote correct preoperative fasting.