diff --git a/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/flat/FlatUIImplementation.java b/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/flat/FlatUIImplementation.java
index 6580d36bff0..741246fc716 100644
--- a/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/flat/FlatUIImplementation.java
+++ b/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/flat/FlatUIImplementation.java
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ public class FlatUIImplementation extends UIImplementation {
   /**
    * Helper class that sorts moveTo/moveFrom arrays passed to #manageChildren().
    * Not used outside of the said method.
-   */ 
+   */
   private final MoveProxy mMoveProxy = new MoveProxy();
   private final StateBuilder mStateBuilder;
   private @Nullable ReactImageManager mReactImageManager;
@@ -224,14 +224,13 @@ public class FlatUIImplementation extends UIImplementation {
         callback);
   }
 
-  private boolean ensureMountsToViewAndBackingViewIsCreated(int reactTag) {
+  private void ensureMountsToViewAndBackingViewIsCreated(int reactTag) {
     FlatShadowNode node = (FlatShadowNode) resolveShadowNode(reactTag);
     if (node.isBackingViewCreated()) {
-      return false;
+      return;
     }
     node.forceMountToView();
     mStateBuilder.ensureBackingViewIsCreated(node);
-    return true;
   }
 
   @Override
@@ -253,16 +252,10 @@ public class FlatUIImplementation extends UIImplementation {
 
   @Override
   public void dispatchViewManagerCommand(int reactTag, int commandId, ReadableArray commandArgs) {
-    if (ensureMountsToViewAndBackingViewIsCreated(reactTag)) {
-      // need to make sure any ui operations (UpdateViewGroup, for example, etc) have already
-      // happened before we actually dispatch the view manager command (since otherwise, the command
-      // may go to an empty shell parent without its children, which is against the specs). note
-      // that we only want to applyUpdates if the view has not yet been created so that it does
-      // get created (otherwise, we may end up changing the View's position when we're not supposed
-      // to, for example).
-      mStateBuilder.applyUpdates((FlatShadowNode) resolveShadowNode(reactTag));
-    }
-    super.dispatchViewManagerCommand(reactTag, commandId, commandArgs);
+    // Make sure that our target view is actually a view, then delay command dispatch until after
+    // we have updated the view hierarchy.
+    ensureMountsToViewAndBackingViewIsCreated(reactTag);
+    mStateBuilder.enqueueViewManagerCommand(reactTag, commandId, commandArgs);
   }
 
   @Override
@@ -414,7 +407,7 @@ public class FlatUIImplementation extends UIImplementation {
 
         ++addToIndex;
         if (addToIndex == numNodesToAdd) {
-          addToChildIndex = Integer.MAX_VALUE;  
+          addToChildIndex = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
         } else {
           addToChildIndex = addAtIndices.getInt(addToIndex);
         }
diff --git a/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/flat/FlatUIViewOperationQueue.java b/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/flat/FlatUIViewOperationQueue.java
index 957937a6c6c..7cf0f80e7be 100644
--- a/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/flat/FlatUIViewOperationQueue.java
+++ b/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/flat/FlatUIViewOperationQueue.java
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import android.view.ViewGroup;
 
 import com.facebook.react.bridge.Callback;
 import com.facebook.react.bridge.ReactApplicationContext;
+import com.facebook.react.bridge.ReadableArray;
 import com.facebook.react.uimanager.IllegalViewOperationException;
 import com.facebook.react.uimanager.NoSuchNativeViewException;
 import com.facebook.react.uimanager.PixelUtil;
@@ -314,6 +315,31 @@ import com.facebook.react.uimanager.UIViewOperationQueue;
     }
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Used to delay view manager command dispatch until after the view hierarchy is updated.
+   * Mirrors command operation dispatch, but is only used in Nodes for view manager commands.
+   */
+  public final class ViewManagerCommand implements UIOperation {
+
+    private final int mReactTag;
+    private final int mCommand;
+    private final @Nullable ReadableArray mArgs;
+
+    public ViewManagerCommand(
+        int reactTag,
+        int command,
+        @Nullable ReadableArray args) {
+      mReactTag = reactTag;
+      mCommand = command;
+      mArgs = args;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void execute() {
+      mNativeViewHierarchyManager.dispatchCommand(mReactTag, mCommand, mArgs);
+    }
+  }
+
   public FlatUIViewOperationQueue(
       ReactApplicationContext reactContext,
       FlatNativeViewHierarchyManager nativeViewHierarchyManager) {
@@ -359,6 +385,17 @@ import com.facebook.react.uimanager.UIViewOperationQueue;
     enqueueUIOperation(updateViewBounds);
   }
 
+  public ViewManagerCommand createViewManagerCommand(
+      int reactTag,
+      int command,
+      @Nullable ReadableArray args) {
+    return new ViewManagerCommand(reactTag, command, args);
+  }
+
+  public void enqueueViewManagerCommand(ViewManagerCommand viewManagerCommand) {
+    enqueueUIOperation(viewManagerCommand);
+  }
+
   public void enqueueSetPadding(
       int reactTag,
       int paddingLeft,
diff --git a/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/flat/StateBuilder.java b/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/flat/StateBuilder.java
index c696c004f20..6cd0761f953 100644
--- a/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/flat/StateBuilder.java
+++ b/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/flat/StateBuilder.java
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import javax.annotation.Nullable;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 
 import com.facebook.csslayout.Spacing;
+import com.facebook.react.bridge.ReadableArray;
 import com.facebook.react.uimanager.OnLayoutEvent;
 import com.facebook.react.uimanager.ReactShadowNode;
 import com.facebook.react.uimanager.ReactStylesDiffMap;
@@ -48,6 +49,8 @@ import com.facebook.react.uimanager.events.EventDispatcher;
   private final ArrayList<OnLayoutEvent> mOnLayoutEvents = new ArrayList<>();
   private final ArrayList<FlatUIViewOperationQueue.UpdateViewBounds> mUpdateViewBoundsOperations =
       new ArrayList<>();
+  private final ArrayList<FlatUIViewOperationQueue.ViewManagerCommand> mViewManagerCommands =
+      new ArrayList<>();
 
   private @Nullable FlatUIViewOperationQueue.DetachAllChildrenFromViews mDetachAllChildrenFromViews;
 
@@ -99,6 +102,14 @@ import com.facebook.react.uimanager.events.EventDispatcher;
     }
     mUpdateViewBoundsOperations.clear();
 
+    // Process view manager commands after bounds operations, so that any ui operations have already
+    // happened before we actually dispatch the view manager command.  This prevents things like
+    // commands going to empty parents and views not yet being created.
+    for (int i = 0, size = mViewManagerCommands.size(); i != size; i++) {
+      mOperationsQueue.enqueueViewManagerCommand(mViewManagerCommands.get(i));
+    }
+    mViewManagerCommands.clear();
+
     // This could be more efficient if EventDispatcher had a batch mode
     // to avoid multiple synchronized calls.
     for (int i = 0, size = mOnLayoutEvents.size(); i != size; ++i) {
@@ -134,6 +145,14 @@ import com.facebook.react.uimanager.events.EventDispatcher;
     mAttachDetachListeners.add(listener);
   }
 
+  /* package */ void enqueueViewManagerCommand(
+      int reactTag,
+      int commandId,
+      ReadableArray commandArgs) {
+    mViewManagerCommands.add(
+        mOperationsQueue.createViewManagerCommand(reactTag, commandId, commandArgs));
+  }
+
   /* package */ void enqueueCreateOrUpdateView(
       FlatShadowNode node,
       @Nullable ReactStylesDiffMap styles) {