diff --git a/tokio/src/process/unix/mod.rs b/tokio/src/process/unix/mod.rs
index e12869737eb..5a88ba8303c 100644
--- a/tokio/src/process/unix/mod.rs
+++ b/tokio/src/process/unix/mod.rs
@@ -103,15 +103,15 @@ impl OrphanQueue<StdChild> for GlobalOrphanQueue {
 }
 
 #[must_use = "futures do nothing unless polled"]
-pub(crate) struct Child {
-    inner: Reaper<StdChild, GlobalOrphanQueue, Signal>,
+pub(crate) enum Child {
+    SignalReaper(Reaper<StdChild, GlobalOrphanQueue, Signal>),
+    #[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
+    PidfdReaper(pidfd_reaper::PidfdReaper<StdChild>),
 }
 
 impl fmt::Debug for Child {
     fn fmt(&self, fmt: &mut fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> fmt::Result {
-        fmt.debug_struct("Child")
-            .field("pid", &self.inner.id())
-            .finish()
+        fmt.debug_struct("Child").field("pid", &self.id()).finish()
     }
 }
 
@@ -121,12 +121,24 @@ pub(crate) fn spawn_child(cmd: &mut std::process::Command) -> io::Result<Spawned
     let stdout = child.stdout.take().map(stdio).transpose()?;
     let stderr = child.stderr.take().map(stdio).transpose()?;
 
+    #[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
+    match pidfd_reaper::PidfdReaper::new(child) {
+        Ok(pidfd_reaper) => {
+            return Ok(SpawnedChild {
+                child: Child::PidfdReaper(pidfd_reaper),
+                stdin,
+                stdout,
+                stderr,
+            })
+        }
+        Err((Some(err), _child)) => return Err(err),
+        Err((None, child_returned)) => child = child_returned,
+    }
+
     let signal = signal(SignalKind::child())?;
 
     Ok(SpawnedChild {
-        child: Child {
-            inner: Reaper::new(child, GlobalOrphanQueue, signal),
-        },
+        child: Child::SignalReaper(Reaper::new(child, GlobalOrphanQueue, signal)),
         stdin,
         stdout,
         stderr,
@@ -135,25 +147,41 @@ pub(crate) fn spawn_child(cmd: &mut std::process::Command) -> io::Result<Spawned
 
 impl Child {
     pub(crate) fn id(&self) -> u32 {
-        self.inner.id()
+        match self {
+            Self::SignalReaper(signal_reaper) => signal_reaper.id(),
+            #[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
+            Self::PidfdReaper(pidfd_reaper) => pidfd_reaper.id(),
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn std_child(&mut self) -> &mut StdChild {
+        match self {
+            Self::SignalReaper(signal_reaper) => signal_reaper.inner_mut(),
+            #[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
+            Self::PidfdReaper(pidfd_reaper) => pidfd_reaper.inner_mut(),
+        }
     }
 
     pub(crate) fn try_wait(&mut self) -> io::Result<Option<ExitStatus>> {
-        self.inner.inner_mut().try_wait()
+        self.std_child().try_wait()
     }
 }
 
 impl Kill for Child {
     fn kill(&mut self) -> io::Result<()> {
-        self.inner.kill()
+        self.std_child().kill()
     }
 }
 
 impl Future for Child {
     type Output = io::Result<ExitStatus>;
 
-    fn poll(mut self: Pin<&mut Self>, cx: &mut Context<'_>) -> Poll<Self::Output> {
-        Pin::new(&mut self.inner).poll(cx)
+    fn poll(self: Pin<&mut Self>, cx: &mut Context<'_>) -> Poll<Self::Output> {
+        match Pin::into_inner(self) {
+            Self::SignalReaper(signal_reaper) => Pin::new(signal_reaper).poll(cx),
+            #[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
+            Self::PidfdReaper(pidfd_reaper) => Pin::new(pidfd_reaper).poll(cx),
+        }
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/tokio/src/process/unix/pidfd_reaper.rs b/tokio/src/process/unix/pidfd_reaper.rs
index fd7a9c5a7d2..1aaf2352eec 100644
--- a/tokio/src/process/unix/pidfd_reaper.rs
+++ b/tokio/src/process/unix/pidfd_reaper.rs
@@ -112,14 +112,14 @@ impl<W> PidfdReaper<W>
 where
     W: Wait + Send + Sync + Unpin + 'static,
 {
-    pub(crate) fn new(inner: W) -> io::Result<Option<Self>> {
+    pub(crate) fn new(inner: W) -> Result<Self, (Option<io::Error>, W)> {
         if let Some(pidfd) = Pidfd::open(inner.id()) {
-            Ok(Some(Self(Some(PidfdReaperInner {
-                pidfd: PollEvented::new_with_interest(pidfd, Interest::READABLE)?,
-                inner,
-            }))))
+            match PollEvented::new_with_interest(pidfd, Interest::READABLE) {
+                Ok(pidfd) => Ok(Self(Some(PidfdReaperInner { pidfd, inner }))),
+                Err(io_error) => Err((Some(io_error), inner)),
+            }
         } else {
-            Ok(None)
+            Err((None, inner))
         }
     }