diff --git a/src/widgets/widgets/qmdiarea.cpp b/src/widgets/widgets/qmdiarea.cpp
index feea7cd0508..0ce561860ec 100644
--- a/src/widgets/widgets/qmdiarea.cpp
+++ b/src/widgets/widgets/qmdiarea.cpp
@@ -1988,9 +1988,11 @@ QMdiSubWindow *QMdiArea::addSubWindow(QWidget *widget, Qt::WindowFlags windowFla
         Q_ASSERT(child->testAttribute(Qt::WA_DeleteOnClose));
     }
 
+    d->appendChild(child);
+
     if (childFocus)
         childFocus->setFocus();
-    d->appendChild(child);
+
     return child;
 }
 
diff --git a/tests/auto/widgets/widgets/qmdiarea/tst_qmdiarea.cpp b/tests/auto/widgets/widgets/qmdiarea/tst_qmdiarea.cpp
index 67b79e3fafd..046899ce051 100644
--- a/tests/auto/widgets/widgets/qmdiarea/tst_qmdiarea.cpp
+++ b/tests/auto/widgets/widgets/qmdiarea/tst_qmdiarea.cpp
@@ -333,6 +333,7 @@ void tst_QMdiArea::subWindowActivated()
     for ( i = 0; i < count; ++i ) {
         QWidget *widget = new QWidget(workspace, 0);
         widget->setAttribute(Qt::WA_DeleteOnClose);
+        widget->setFocus();
         workspace->addSubWindow(widget)->show();
         widget->show();
         qApp->processEvents();