A least-squares mixed finite element (LSMFE) method for the numerical solution of fourth order parabolic problems analyzed and developed in this paper. The Ciarlet-Raviart mixed finite element space is used to approximate. The a posteriori error estimator which is needed in the adaptive refinement algorithm is proposed. The local evaluation of the least-squares functional serves as a posteriori error estimator. The posteriori errors are effectively estimated. The convergence of the adaptive least-squares mixed finite element method is proved.