diff --git a/src/isomorphic/devtools/__tests__/ReactComponentTreeDevtool-test.js b/src/isomorphic/devtools/__tests__/ReactComponentTreeDevtool-test.js
index ef5516238a..e0a7692e41 100644
--- a/src/isomorphic/devtools/__tests__/ReactComponentTreeDevtool-test.js
+++ b/src/isomorphic/devtools/__tests__/ReactComponentTreeDevtool-test.js
@@ -268,7 +268,6 @@ describe('ReactComponentTreeDevtool', () => {
           displayName: 'p',
           children: [{
             displayName: 'span',
-            element: <span>Hi!</span>,
             children: [{
               displayName: '#text',
               text: 'Hi!',
@@ -353,12 +352,10 @@ describe('ReactComponentTreeDevtool', () => {
             }],
           }, {
             displayName: 'Bar',
-            element: <Bar><span>Hi,</span>Mom</Bar>,
             children: [{
               displayName: 'h1',
               children: [{
                 displayName: 'span',
-                element: <span>Hi,</span>,
                 children: [{
                   displayName: '#text',
                   element: 'Hi,',
@@ -372,7 +369,6 @@ describe('ReactComponentTreeDevtool', () => {
             }],
           }, {
             displayName: 'a',
-            element: <a href="#">Click me.</a>,
             children: [{
               displayName: '#text',
               text: 'Click me.',
diff --git a/src/isomorphic/devtools/__tests__/ReactComponentTreeDevtool-test.native.js b/src/isomorphic/devtools/__tests__/ReactComponentTreeDevtool-test.native.js
index 746f7a82be..4ba5cdc9d9 100644
--- a/src/isomorphic/devtools/__tests__/ReactComponentTreeDevtool-test.native.js
+++ b/src/isomorphic/devtools/__tests__/ReactComponentTreeDevtool-test.native.js
@@ -277,10 +277,8 @@ describe('ReactComponentTreeDevtool', () => {
         element,
         children: [{
           displayName: 'View',
-          element: <View><Text>Hi!</Text></View>,
           children: [{
             displayName: 'Text',
-            element: <Text>Hi!</Text>,
             children: [{
               displayName: 'RCText',
               children: [{
@@ -369,7 +367,6 @@ describe('ReactComponentTreeDevtool', () => {
               displayName: 'View',
               children: [{
                 displayName: 'Text',
-                element: <Text>Hi,</Text>,
                 children: [{
                   displayName: 'RCText',
                   children: [{
diff --git a/src/renderers/dom/shared/ReactDOMComponent.js b/src/renderers/dom/shared/ReactDOMComponent.js
index 61dc9f87ad..0a8b106837 100644
--- a/src/renderers/dom/shared/ReactDOMComponent.js
+++ b/src/renderers/dom/shared/ReactDOMComponent.js
@@ -248,16 +248,34 @@ function optionPostMount() {
 
 var setContentChildForInstrumentation = emptyFunction;
 if (__DEV__) {
-  setContentChildForInstrumentation = function(contentToUse) {
+  setContentChildForInstrumentation = function(content) {
+    var hasExistingContent = this._contentDebugID != null;
     var debugID = this._debugID;
     var contentDebugID = debugID + '#text';
+
+    if (content == null) {
+      if (hasExistingContent) {
+        ReactInstrumentation.debugTool.onUnmountComponent(this._contentDebugID);
+      }
+      this._contentDebugID = null;
+      return;
+    }
+
     this._contentDebugID = contentDebugID;
+    var text = '' + content;
+
     ReactInstrumentation.debugTool.onSetDisplayName(contentDebugID, '#text');
     ReactInstrumentation.debugTool.onSetParent(contentDebugID, debugID);
-    ReactInstrumentation.debugTool.onBeforeMountComponent(contentDebugID);
-    ReactInstrumentation.debugTool.onSetText(contentDebugID, '' + contentToUse);
-    ReactInstrumentation.debugTool.onMountComponent(contentDebugID);
-    ReactInstrumentation.debugTool.onSetChildren(debugID, [contentDebugID]);
+    ReactInstrumentation.debugTool.onSetText(contentDebugID, text);
+
+    if (hasExistingContent) {
+      ReactInstrumentation.debugTool.onBeforeUpdateComponent(contentDebugID, content);
+      ReactInstrumentation.debugTool.onUpdateComponent(contentDebugID);
+    } else {
+      ReactInstrumentation.debugTool.onBeforeMountComponent(contentDebugID, content);
+      ReactInstrumentation.debugTool.onMountComponent(contentDebugID);
+      ReactInstrumentation.debugTool.onSetChildren(debugID, [contentDebugID]);
+    }
   };
 }
 
@@ -468,7 +486,7 @@ function ReactDOMComponent(element) {
   this._flags = 0;
   if (__DEV__) {
     this._ancestorInfo = null;
-    this._contentDebugID = null;
+    setContentChildForInstrumentation.call(this, null);
   }
 }
 
@@ -1042,7 +1060,6 @@ ReactDOMComponent.Mixin = {
       if (lastContent !== nextContent) {
         this.updateTextContent('' + nextContent);
         if (__DEV__) {
-          this._contentDebugID = this._debugID + '#text';
           setContentChildForInstrumentation.call(this, nextContent);
         }
       }
@@ -1055,10 +1072,7 @@ ReactDOMComponent.Mixin = {
       }
     } else if (nextChildren != null) {
       if (__DEV__) {
-        if (this._contentDebugID) {
-          ReactInstrumentation.debugTool.onUnmountComponent(this._contentDebugID);
-          this._contentDebugID = null;
-        }
+        setContentChildForInstrumentation.call(this, null);
       }
 
       this.updateChildren(nextChildren, transaction, context);
@@ -1124,10 +1138,7 @@ ReactDOMComponent.Mixin = {
     this._wrapperState = null;
 
     if (__DEV__) {
-      if (this._contentDebugID) {
-        ReactInstrumentation.debugTool.onUnmountComponent(this._contentDebugID);
-        this._contentDebugID = null;
-      }
+      setContentChildForInstrumentation.call(this, null);
     }
   },
 
diff --git a/src/renderers/shared/stack/reconciler/ReactReconciler.js b/src/renderers/shared/stack/reconciler/ReactReconciler.js
index 149bbedd80..f9e6473b7a 100644
--- a/src/renderers/shared/stack/reconciler/ReactReconciler.js
+++ b/src/renderers/shared/stack/reconciler/ReactReconciler.js
@@ -46,14 +46,14 @@ var ReactReconciler = {
   ) {
     if (__DEV__) {
       if (internalInstance._debugID !== 0) {
-        ReactInstrumentation.debugTool.onBeginReconcilerTimer(
-          internalInstance._debugID,
-          'mountComponent'
-        );
         ReactInstrumentation.debugTool.onBeforeMountComponent(
           internalInstance._debugID,
           internalInstance._currentElement
         );
+        ReactInstrumentation.debugTool.onBeginReconcilerTimer(
+          internalInstance._debugID,
+          'mountComponent'
+        );
       }
     }
     var markup = internalInstance.mountComponent(
@@ -150,14 +150,14 @@ var ReactReconciler = {
 
     if (__DEV__) {
       if (internalInstance._debugID !== 0) {
+        ReactInstrumentation.debugTool.onBeforeUpdateComponent(
+          internalInstance._debugID,
+          nextElement
+        );
         ReactInstrumentation.debugTool.onBeginReconcilerTimer(
           internalInstance._debugID,
           'receiveComponent'
         );
-        ReactInstrumentation.debugTool.onBeforeUpdateComponent(
-          internalInstance._debugID,
-          internalInstance._currentElement
-        );
       }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/test/ReactComponentTreeTestUtils.js b/src/test/ReactComponentTreeTestUtils.js
index 91da5e4a71..1f5967d3dd 100644
--- a/src/test/ReactComponentTreeTestUtils.js
+++ b/src/test/ReactComponentTreeTestUtils.js
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@
 
 'use strict';
 
-var ReactChildren = require('ReactChildren');
 var ReactComponentTreeDevtool = require('ReactComponentTreeDevtool');
 
 function getRootDisplayNames() {
@@ -24,17 +23,6 @@ function getRegisteredDisplayNames() {
     .map(ReactComponentTreeDevtool.getDisplayName);
 }
 
-function stripElement(element) {
-  if (!element || !element.props) {
-    return element;
-  }
-  return {
-    props: element.props,
-    type: element.type,
-    children: ReactChildren.map(element.children, stripElement),
-  };
-}
-
 function expectTree(rootID, expectedTree, parentPath) {
   var displayName = ReactComponentTreeDevtool.getDisplayName(rootID);
   var ownerID = ReactComponentTreeDevtool.getOwnerID(rootID);
@@ -80,10 +68,12 @@ function expectTree(rootID, expectedTree, parentPath) {
     expectEqual(text, null, 'text');
   }
   if (expectedTree.element !== undefined) {
+    // TODO: Comparing elements makes tests run out of memory on errors.
+    // For now, compare just types.
     expectEqual(
-      stripElement(element),
-      stripElement(expectedTree.element),
-      'element'
+      element && element.type,
+      expectedTree.element && expectedTree.element.type,
+      'element.type'
     );
   } else if (text == null) {
     expectEqual(typeof element, 'object', 'typeof element');