diff --git a/packages/core/src/render3/instructions.ts b/packages/core/src/render3/instructions.ts
index d1196f92ca..0a23c5b424 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/render3/instructions.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/render3/instructions.ts
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ import {CurrentMatchesList, LView, LViewFlags, LifecycleStage, RootContext, TDat
 
 import {LContainerNode, LElementNode, LNode, TNodeType, TNodeFlags, LProjectionNode, LTextNode, LViewNode, TNode, TContainerNode, InitialInputData, InitialInputs, PropertyAliases, PropertyAliasValue,} from './interfaces/node';
 import {assertNodeType} from './node_assert';
-import {appendChild, insertView, appendProjectedNode, removeView, canInsertNativeNode, createTextNode, getNextLNode} from './node_manipulation';
+import {appendChild, insertView, appendProjectedNode, removeView, canInsertNativeNode, createTextNode, getNextLNode, getChildLNode} from './node_manipulation';
 import {isNodeMatchingSelectorList, matchingSelectorIndex} from './node_selector_matcher';
 import {ComponentDef, ComponentTemplate, DirectiveDef, DirectiveDefList, DirectiveDefListOrFactory, PipeDefList, PipeDefListOrFactory, RenderFlags} from './interfaces/definition';
 import {RElement, RText, Renderer3, RendererFactory3, ProceduralRenderer3, RendererStyleFlags3, isProceduralRenderer} from './interfaces/renderer';
@@ -344,7 +344,6 @@ export function createLNodeObject(
     native: native as any,
     view: currentView,
     parent: parent as any,
-    child: null,
     nodeInjector: parent ? parent.nodeInjector : null,
     data: state,
     queries: queries,
@@ -414,15 +413,10 @@ export function createLNode(
     // Now link ourselves into the tree.
     if (isParent) {
       currentQueries = null;
-      if (previousOrParentNode.view === currentView ||
+      if (previousOrParentNode.tNode.child == null && previousOrParentNode.view === currentView ||
           previousOrParentNode.tNode.type === TNodeType.View) {
         // We are in the same view, which means we are adding content node to the parent View.
-        ngDevMode && assertNull(
-                         previousOrParentNode.child,
-                         `previousOrParentNode's child should not have been set.`);
-        previousOrParentNode.child = node;
-      } else {
-        // We are adding component view, so we don't link parent node child to this node.
+        previousOrParentNode.tNode.child = node.tNode;
       }
     }
   }
@@ -1063,6 +1057,7 @@ export function createTNode(
     outputs: undefined,
     tViews: tViews,
     next: null,
+    child: null,
     dynamicContainerNode: null
   };
 }
@@ -1699,7 +1694,7 @@ export function embeddedViewEnd(): void {
 function setRenderParentInProjectedNodes(
     renderParent: LElementNode | null, viewNode: LViewNode): void {
   if (renderParent != null) {
-    let node: LNode|null = viewNode.child;
+    let node: LNode|null = getChildLNode(viewNode);
     while (node) {
       if (node.tNode.type === TNodeType.Projection) {
         let nodeToProject: LNode|null = (node as LProjectionNode).data.head;
@@ -1776,7 +1771,7 @@ export function projectionDef(
   }
 
   const componentNode: LElementNode = findComponentHost(currentView);
-  let componentChild: LNode|null = componentNode.child;
+  let componentChild: LNode|null = getChildLNode(componentNode);
 
   while (componentChild !== null) {
     // execute selector matching logic if and only if:
diff --git a/packages/core/src/render3/interfaces/node.ts b/packages/core/src/render3/interfaces/node.ts
index 4608572a15..0701f960eb 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/render3/interfaces/node.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/render3/interfaces/node.ts
@@ -71,11 +71,6 @@ export interface LNode {
    */
   readonly parent: LNode|null;
 
-  /**
-   * First child of the current node.
-   */
-  child: LNode|null;
-
   /**
    * If regular LElementNode, then `data` will be null.
    * If LElementNode with component, then `data` contains LView.
@@ -130,8 +125,6 @@ export interface LElementNode extends LNode {
   /** The DOM element associated with this node. */
   readonly native: RElement;
 
-  child: LContainerNode|LElementNode|LTextNode|LProjectionNode|null;
-
   /** If Component then data has LView (light DOM) */
   readonly data: LView|null;
 
@@ -143,7 +136,6 @@ export interface LElementNode extends LNode {
 export interface LTextNode extends LNode {
   /** The text node associated with this node. */
   native: RText;
-  child: null;
 
   /** LTextNodes can be inside LElementNodes or inside LViewNodes. */
   readonly parent: LElementNode|LViewNode;
@@ -154,7 +146,6 @@ export interface LTextNode extends LNode {
 /** Abstract node which contains root nodes of a view. */
 export interface LViewNode extends LNode {
   readonly native: null;
-  child: LContainerNode|LElementNode|LTextNode|LProjectionNode|null;
 
   /**  LViewNodes can only be added to LContainerNodes. */
   readonly parent: LContainerNode|null;
@@ -173,7 +164,6 @@ export interface LContainerNode extends LNode {
    */
   native: RElement|RText|null|undefined;
   readonly data: LContainer;
-  child: null;
 
   /** Containers can be added to elements or views. */
   readonly parent: LElementNode|LViewNode|null;
@@ -182,7 +172,6 @@ export interface LContainerNode extends LNode {
 
 export interface LProjectionNode extends LNode {
   readonly native: null;
-  child: null;
 
   readonly data: LProjection;
 
@@ -310,6 +299,14 @@ export interface TNode {
    */
   next: TNode|null;
 
+  /**
+   * First child of the current node.
+   *
+   * For component nodes, the child will always be a ContentChild (in same view).
+   * For embedded view nodes, the child will be in their child view.
+   */
+  child: TNode|null;
+
   /**
    * A pointer to a TContainerNode created by directives requesting ViewContainerRef
    */
@@ -317,10 +314,34 @@ export interface TNode {
 }
 
 /** Static data for an LElementNode  */
-export interface TElementNode extends TNode { tViews: null; }
+export interface TElementNode extends TNode {
+  child: TContainerNode|TElementNode|TProjectionNode|null;
+  tViews: null;
+}
+
+/** Static data for an LTextNode  */
+export interface TTextNode extends TNode {
+  child: null;
+  tViews: null;
+}
 
 /** Static data for an LContainerNode */
-export interface TContainerNode extends TNode { tViews: TView|TView[]|null; }
+export interface TContainerNode extends TNode {
+  child: null;
+  tViews: TView|TView[]|null;
+}
+
+/** Static data for an LViewNode  */
+export interface TViewNode extends TNode {
+  child: TContainerNode|TElementNode|TProjectionNode|null;
+  tViews: null;
+}
+
+/** Static data for an LProjectionNode  */
+export interface TProjectionNode extends TNode {
+  child: null;
+  tViews: null;
+}
 
 /**
  * This mapping is necessary so we can set input properties and output listeners
diff --git a/packages/core/src/render3/node_manipulation.ts b/packages/core/src/render3/node_manipulation.ts
index b1a5b3fa17..3ae554dd92 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/render3/node_manipulation.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/render3/node_manipulation.ts
@@ -75,6 +75,15 @@ export function getNextLNode(node: LNode): LNode|null {
   return node.tNode.next ? node.view.data[node.tNode.next !.index as number] : null;
 }
 
+/** Retrieves the first child of a given node */
+export function getChildLNode(node: LNode): LNode|null {
+  if (node.tNode.child) {
+    const view = node.tNode.type === TNodeType.View ? node.data as LView : node.view;
+    return view.data[node.tNode.child.index as number];
+  }
+  return null;
+}
+
 /**
  * Get the next node in the LNode tree, taking into account the place where a node is
  * projected (in the shadow DOM) rather than where it comes from (in the light DOM).
@@ -140,13 +149,14 @@ function findFirstRNode(rootNode: LNode): RElement|RText|null {
       const childContainerData: LContainer = lContainerNode.dynamicLContainerNode ?
           lContainerNode.dynamicLContainerNode.data :
           lContainerNode.data;
-      nextNode = childContainerData.views.length ? childContainerData.views[0].child : null;
+      nextNode =
+          childContainerData.views.length ? getChildLNode(childContainerData.views[0]) : null;
     } else if (node.tNode.type === TNodeType.Projection) {
       // For Projection look at the first projected node
       nextNode = (node as LProjectionNode).data.head;
     } else {
       // Otherwise look at the first child
-      nextNode = (node as LViewNode).child;
+      nextNode = getChildLNode(node as LViewNode);
     }
 
     node = nextNode === null ? getNextOrParentSiblingNode(node, rootNode) : nextNode;
@@ -183,7 +193,7 @@ export function addRemoveViewFromContainer(
   ngDevMode && assertNodeType(rootNode, TNodeType.View);
   const parentNode = container.data.renderParent;
   const parent = parentNode ? parentNode.native : null;
-  let node: LNode|null = rootNode.child;
+  let node: LNode|null = getChildLNode(rootNode);
   if (parent) {
     while (node) {
       let nextNode: LNode|null = null;
@@ -203,11 +213,12 @@ export function addRemoveViewFromContainer(
         // propagating down into child views / containers and not child elements
         const childContainerData: LContainer = (node as LContainerNode).data;
         childContainerData.renderParent = parentNode;
-        nextNode = childContainerData.views.length ? childContainerData.views[0].child : null;
+        nextNode =
+            childContainerData.views.length ? getChildLNode(childContainerData.views[0]) : null;
       } else if (node.tNode.type === TNodeType.Projection) {
         nextNode = (node as LProjectionNode).data.head;
       } else {
-        nextNode = (node as LViewNode).child;
+        nextNode = getChildLNode(node as LViewNode);
       }
       if (nextNode === null) {
         node = getNextOrParentSiblingNode(node, rootNode);
diff --git a/packages/core/test/bundling/todo/bundle.golden_symbols.json b/packages/core/test/bundling/todo/bundle.golden_symbols.json
index 2a9c789e3d..7cdd8fb784 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/bundling/todo/bundle.golden_symbols.json
+++ b/packages/core/test/bundling/todo/bundle.golden_symbols.json
@@ -383,6 +383,9 @@
   {
     "name": "generatePropertyAliases"
   },
+  {
+    "name": "getChildLNode"
+  },
   {
     "name": "getCurrentSanitizer"
   },
diff --git a/packages/core/test/render3/node_selector_matcher_spec.ts b/packages/core/test/render3/node_selector_matcher_spec.ts
index 638d73b58c..d98944e264 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/render3/node_selector_matcher_spec.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/render3/node_selector_matcher_spec.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ function testLStaticData(tagName: string, attrs: string[] | null): TNode {
     outputs: undefined,
     tViews: null,
     next: null,
+    child: null,
     dynamicContainerNode: null
   };
 }