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Objectives Developmental and behavioral difficulties are common in childhood; however, national-level data on children presenting to developmental and behavioral pediatrics (DBP) units remain scarce. This multicenter, prospective cross-sectional study examined demographic, clinical, and developmental profiles of children attending DBP outpatient clinics for the first time in Türkiye.Methods Eleven tertiary hospitals from diverse regions participated, with one center per city to ensure geographic representation. Only hospitals affiliated with the Ministry of Health were included. Children presenting for their first DBP visit over a three-month period were enrolled. Data were collected using a standardized online form and analyzed descriptively.Results A total of 3,077 children were analyzed. The median age was 21 months (IQR: 6–38). Based on Hollingshead classification, 66.5% of families were in lower socioeconomic classes (III–IV), while only 1.6% belonged to the highest class (I). Referral patterns varied by age: neonatology accounted for 33.6% (n=566) of referrals among children ≤24 months, while family-initiated referrals constituted 18.1% (n=252). Sources of referral also differed across centers, reflecting a lack of standardized criteria. Regarding developmental diagnoses, gross motor delay was most common in younger children (24.6%), whereas expressive language delay predominated in older children (62.4%).Conclusions Referral reasons relied heavily on clinical judgment rather than standardized approaches, resulting in significant heterogeneity across centers. These findings underscore the developmental burden across age groups in Türkiye and highlight the urgent need for nationwide standardization in referral and surveillance practices for DBP services.