Objectives: Chiari type 1 malformation (CM1) may occasionally lead to central sleep apnea (CSA). We studied, in a large clinical cohort of pediatric CM1 patients, the effect of CM1 on breathing during sleep. Methods: This is a retrospective single pediatric pulmonology center study with a systematic evaluation of pediatric CM1 patients under age 18 with polysomnography (PSG) during 2008-2020. Children with syndromes were excluded. All patients had undergone head and spine magnetic resonance imaging. Results: We included 104 children with CM1 with a median age of 7 (interquartile range (IQR) 5-13) years. The median extent of tonsillar descent (TD) was 13 (IQR 10-18) mm. Syringomyelia was present in 19 children (18%). Of all children, 57 (55%) had normal PSG, 31 (30%) showed periodic breathing or central apnea index ≥5 h ^-1, and 16 (15%) displayed features of compensated central hypoventilation and periods with end-tidal or transcutaneous carbon dioxide 99 ^th percentile level above 50 mmHg. TD had the best predictive value for central breathing disorders. In a linear model, both age (61%) and TD (39%) predicted median respiratory rate (R = 0.33, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Although severe CSA is a rare complication of brainstem compression in pediatric patients with CM1, short arousal-triggered episodes of periodic breathing and mild compensated central hypoventilation are common. TD shows the best but still poor prediction of the presence of a central breathing disorder. This highlights the use of PSG in patient evaluation. Posterior fossa decompression surgery effectively treats central breathing disorders.