diff --git a/src/dnsmasq.c b/src/dnsmasq.c
index bea57bc..573aac0 100644
--- a/src/dnsmasq.c
+++ b/src/dnsmasq.c
@@ -1861,8 +1861,26 @@ static void check_dns_listeners(time_t now)
 		  for (i = 0; i < MAX_PROCS; i++)
 		    if (daemon->tcp_pids[i] == 0 && daemon->tcp_pipes[i] == -1)
 		      {
+			char a;
+			
 			daemon->tcp_pids[i] = p;
 			daemon->tcp_pipes[i] = pipefd[0];
+#ifdef HAVE_LINUX_NETWORK
+			/* The child process inherits the netlink socket, 
+			   which it never uses, but when the parent (us) 
+			   uses it in the future, the answer may go to the 
+			   child, resulting in the parent blocking
+			   forever awaiting the result. To avoid this
+			   the child closes the netlink socket, but there's
+			   a nasty race, since the parent may use netlink
+			   before the child has done the close.
+
+			   To avoid this, the parent blocks here until a 
+			   single byte comes back up the pipe, which
+			   is sent by the child after it has closed the
+			   netlink socket. */
+			retry_send(read(pipefd[0], &a, 1));
+#endif
 			break;
 		      }
 		}
@@ -1894,9 +1912,15 @@ static void check_dns_listeners(time_t now)
 		 terminate the process. */
 	      if (!option_bool(OPT_DEBUG))
 		{
+		  char a = 0;
 		  alarm(CHILD_LIFETIME);
 		  close(pipefd[0]); /* close read end in child. */
 		  daemon->pipe_to_parent = pipefd[1];
+#ifdef HAVE_LINUX_NETWORK
+		  /* See comment above re netlink socket. */
+		  close(daemon->netlinkfd);
+		  retry_send(write(pipefd[1], &a, 1));
+#endif
 		}
 
 	      /* start with no upstream connections. */