diff --git a/hamt/hamt.go b/hamt/hamt.go
index 593b64627..a1c3d13da 100644
--- a/hamt/hamt.go
+++ b/hamt/hamt.go
@@ -171,7 +171,11 @@ func (ds *Shard) Node() (ipld.Node, error) {
 			continue
 		}
 
-		ch := ds.childer.child(sliceIndex)
+		chl := ds.childer.childOrLink(sliceIndex)
+
+		ch := chl.child
+		lnk := chl.link
+
 		if ch != nil {
 			clnk, err := ch.Link()
 			if err != nil {
@@ -184,7 +188,6 @@ func (ds *Shard) Node() (ipld.Node, error) {
 			}
 		} else {
 			// child unloaded, just copy in link with updated name
-			lnk := ds.childer.link(sliceIndex)
 			label := lnk.Name[ds.maxpadlen:]
 
 			err := out.AddRawLink(ds.linkNamePrefix(childIndex)+label, lnk)
@@ -415,46 +418,55 @@ type listCidsAndShards struct {
 func (ds *Shard) walkChildren(processLinkValues func(formattedLink *ipld.Link) error) (*listCidsAndShards, error) {
 	res := &listCidsAndShards{}
 
-	for idx, lnk := range ds.childer.links {
-		if nextShard := ds.childer.children[idx]; nextShard == nil {
-			lnkLinkType, err := ds.childLinkType(lnk)
-			if err != nil {
+	for i := 0; i < ds.childer.length(); i++ {
+		chl := ds.childer.childOrLink(i)
+
+		lnk := chl.link
+		nextShard := chl.child
+
+		if nextShard != nil && nextShard.val != nil {
+			formattedLink := &ipld.Link{
+				Name: nextShard.key,
+				Size: nextShard.val.Size,
+				Cid:  nextShard.val.Cid,
+			}
+			if err := processLinkValues(formattedLink); err != nil {
 				return nil, err
 			}
 
-			switch lnkLinkType {
-			case shardValueLink:
-				sv, err := ds.makeShardValue(lnk)
-				if err != nil {
-					return nil, err
-				}
-				formattedLink := sv.val
-				formattedLink.Name = sv.key
+			continue
+		}
 
-				if err := processLinkValues(formattedLink); err != nil {
-					return nil, err
-				}
-			case shardLink:
-				res.cids = append(res.cids, lnk.Cid)
-			default:
-				return nil, fmt.Errorf("unsupported shard link type")
+		if nextShard != nil {
+			res.shards = append(res.shards, nextShard)
+
+			continue
+		}
+
+		lnkLinkType, err := ds.childLinkType(lnk)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+
+		switch lnkLinkType {
+		case shardValueLink:
+			sv, err := ds.makeShardValue(lnk)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, err
 			}
+			formattedLink := sv.val
+			formattedLink.Name = sv.key
 
-		} else {
-			if nextShard.val != nil {
-				formattedLink := &ipld.Link{
-					Name: nextShard.key,
-					Size: nextShard.val.Size,
-					Cid:  nextShard.val.Cid,
-				}
-				if err := processLinkValues(formattedLink); err != nil {
-					return nil, err
-				}
-			} else {
-				res.shards = append(res.shards, nextShard)
+			if err := processLinkValues(formattedLink); err != nil {
+				return nil, err
 			}
+		case shardLink:
+			res.cids = append(res.cids, lnk.Cid)
+		default:
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("unsupported shard link type")
 		}
 	}
+
 	return res, nil
 }
 
@@ -707,7 +719,11 @@ func (ds *Shard) swapValue(ctx context.Context, hv *hashBits, key string, value
 				// shard in case an implementation is broken.
 
 				// Have we loaded the child? Prefer that.
-				schild := child.childer.child(0)
+				chl := child.childer.childOrLink(0)
+
+				schild := chl.child
+				slnk := chl.link
+
 				if schild != nil {
 					if schild.isValueNode() {
 						ds.childer.set(schild, i)
@@ -716,7 +732,6 @@ func (ds *Shard) swapValue(ctx context.Context, hv *hashBits, key string, value
 				}
 
 				// Otherwise, work with the link.
-				slnk := child.childer.link(0)
 				var lnkType linkType
 				lnkType, err = child.childer.sd.childLinkType(slnk)
 				if err != nil {
@@ -750,9 +765,14 @@ type childer struct {
 	dserv    ipld.DAGService
 	bitfield bitfield.Bitfield
 
-	// Only one of links/children will be non-nil for every child/link.
-	links    []*ipld.Link
-	children []*Shard
+	mu       sync.RWMutex
+	children []childOrLink
+}
+
+// childOrLink is a data structure that will contains a link OR a child.
+type childOrLink struct {
+	link  *ipld.Link
+	child *Shard
 }
 
 func newChilder(ds ipld.DAGService, size int) *childer {
@@ -763,11 +783,13 @@ func newChilder(ds ipld.DAGService, size int) *childer {
 }
 
 func (s *childer) makeChilder(data []byte, links []*ipld.Link) *childer {
-	s.children = make([]*Shard, len(links))
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+
 	s.bitfield.SetBytes(data)
-	if len(links) > 0 {
-		s.links = make([]*ipld.Link, len(links))
-		copy(s.links, links)
+
+	for _, l := range links {
+		s.children = append(s.children, childOrLink{link: l})
 	}
 
 	return s
@@ -778,12 +800,11 @@ func (s *childer) sliceIndex(childIndex int) (sliceIndex int) {
 	return s.bitfield.OnesBefore(childIndex)
 }
 
-func (s *childer) child(sliceIndex int) *Shard {
-	return s.children[sliceIndex]
-}
+func (s *childer) childOrLink(sliceIndex int) childOrLink {
+	s.mu.RLock()
+	defer s.mu.RUnlock()
 
-func (s *childer) link(sliceIndex int) *ipld.Link {
-	return s.links[sliceIndex]
+	return s.children[sliceIndex]
 }
 
 func (s *childer) insert(key string, lnk *ipld.Link, idx int) error {
@@ -795,8 +816,12 @@ func (s *childer) insert(key string, lnk *ipld.Link, idx int) error {
 	i := s.sliceIndex(idx)
 	sd := &Shard{key: key, val: lnk}
 
-	s.children = append(s.children[:i], append([]*Shard{sd}, s.children[i:]...)...)
-	s.links = append(s.links[:i], append([]*ipld.Link{nil}, s.links[i:]...)...)
+	s.mu.Lock()
+
+	s.children = append(s.children[:i], append([]childOrLink{{child: sd}}, s.children[i:]...)...)
+
+	s.mu.Unlock()
+
 	// Add a `nil` placeholder in `links` so the rest of the entries keep the same
 	// index as `children`.
 	s.bitfield.SetBit(idx)
@@ -805,13 +830,17 @@ func (s *childer) insert(key string, lnk *ipld.Link, idx int) error {
 }
 
 func (s *childer) set(sd *Shard, i int) {
-	s.children[i] = sd
-	s.links[i] = nil
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+
+	s.children[i] = childOrLink{child: sd}
 }
 
 func (s *childer) setLink(lnk *ipld.Link, i int) {
-	s.children[i] = nil
-	s.links[i] = lnk
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+
+	s.children[i] = childOrLink{link: lnk}
 }
 
 func (s *childer) rm(childIndex int) error {
@@ -821,11 +850,12 @@ func (s *childer) rm(childIndex int) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
+	s.mu.Lock()
+
 	copy(s.children[i:], s.children[i+1:])
 	s.children = s.children[:len(s.children)-1]
 
-	copy(s.links[i:], s.links[i+1:])
-	s.links = s.links[:len(s.links)-1]
+	s.mu.Unlock()
 
 	s.bitfield.UnsetBit(childIndex)
 
@@ -840,18 +870,17 @@ func (s *childer) get(ctx context.Context, sliceIndex int) (*Shard, error) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	c := s.child(sliceIndex)
-	if c != nil {
-		return c, nil
+	c := s.childOrLink(sliceIndex)
+	if c.child != nil {
+		return c.child, nil
 	}
 
-	return s.loadChild(ctx, sliceIndex)
+	return s.loadChild(ctx, c.link, sliceIndex)
 }
 
 // loadChild reads the i'th child node of this shard from disk and returns it
 // as a 'child' interface
-func (s *childer) loadChild(ctx context.Context, sliceIndex int) (*Shard, error) {
-	lnk := s.link(sliceIndex)
+func (s *childer) loadChild(ctx context.Context, lnk *ipld.Link, sliceIndex int) (*Shard, error) {
 	lnkLinkType, err := s.sd.childLinkType(lnk)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -910,9 +939,5 @@ func (s *childer) check(sliceIndex int) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("invalid index passed to operate children (likely corrupt bitfield)")
 	}
 
-	if len(s.children) != len(s.links) {
-		return fmt.Errorf("inconsistent lengths between children array and Links array")
-	}
-
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/hamt/hamt_test.go b/hamt/hamt_test.go
index 8d0b93889..15b28f57a 100644
--- a/hamt/hamt_test.go
+++ b/hamt/hamt_test.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"math/rand"
 	"os"
 	"sort"
+	"sync"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
@@ -710,3 +711,32 @@ func TestHamtBadSize(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal("should have failed to construct hamt with bad size")
 	}
 }
+
+func TestChilderModifyChildrenAndLinks(t *testing.T) {
+	ds := mdtest.Mock()
+	sh, _ := NewShard(ds, 256)
+
+	ch := newChilder(ds, 1024)
+	ch.makeChilder(nil, []*ipld.Link{{}})
+
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+	for i := 0; i < 100000; i++ {
+		wg.Add(2)
+		go func() {
+			ch.set(sh, 0)
+			wg.Done()
+		}()
+		go func() {
+			ch.setLink(&ipld.Link{}, 0)
+			wg.Done()
+		}()
+
+		chl := ch.childOrLink(0)
+		if chl.child == nil && chl.link == nil {
+			t.Fatal("both slices are nil", i)
+		}
+
+	}
+
+	wg.Wait()
+}