diff --git a/lib/internal/child_process.js b/lib/internal/child_process.js
index 8e6a303a2e27a5..03c0ed9159f64a 100644
--- a/lib/internal/child_process.js
+++ b/lib/internal/child_process.js
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ let freeParser;
 let HTTPParser;
 
 const MAX_HANDLE_RETRANSMISSIONS = 3;
+const kIsUsedAsStdio = Symbol('kIsUsedAsStdio');
 
 // This object contain function to convert TCP objects to native handle objects
 // and back again.
@@ -278,8 +279,14 @@ function flushStdio(subprocess) {
 
   for (var i = 0; i < stdio.length; i++) {
     const stream = stdio[i];
-    if (!stream || !stream.readable || stream._readableState.readableListening)
+    // TODO(addaleax): This doesn't necessarily account for all the ways in
+    // which data can be read from a stream, e.g. being consumed on the
+    // native layer directly as a StreamBase.
+    if (!stream || !stream.readable ||
+        stream._readableState.readableListening ||
+        stream[kIsUsedAsStdio]) {
       continue;
+    }
     stream.resume();
   }
 }
@@ -384,12 +391,16 @@ ChildProcess.prototype.spawn = function(options) {
       continue;
     }
 
-    // The stream is already cloned and piped, thus close it.
+    // The stream is already cloned and piped, thus stop its readable side,
+    // otherwise we might attempt to read from the stream when at the same time
+    // the child process does.
     if (stream.type === 'wrap') {
-      stream.handle.close();
-      if (stream._stdio && stream._stdio instanceof EventEmitter) {
-        stream._stdio.emit('close');
-      }
+      stream.handle.reading = false;
+      stream.handle.readStop();
+      stream._stdio.pause();
+      stream._stdio.readableFlowing = false;
+      stream._stdio._readableState.reading = false;
+      stream._stdio[kIsUsedAsStdio] = true;
       continue;
     }
 
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-child-process-pipe-dataflow.js b/test/parallel/test-child-process-pipe-dataflow.js
index f5068b5d366468..88a31f4ff8429b 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-child-process-pipe-dataflow.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-child-process-pipe-dataflow.js
@@ -33,6 +33,10 @@ const MB = KB * KB;
   grep = spawn('grep', ['x'], { stdio: [cat.stdout, 'pipe', 'pipe'] });
   wc = spawn('wc', ['-c'], { stdio: [grep.stdout, 'pipe', 'pipe'] });
 
+  // Extra checks: We never try to start reading data ourselves.
+  cat.stdout._handle.readStart = common.mustNotCall();
+  grep.stdout._handle.readStart = common.mustNotCall();
+
   [cat, grep, wc].forEach((child, index) => {
     child.stderr.on('data', (d) => {
       // Don't want to assert here, as we might miss error code info.
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-child-process-server-close.js b/test/parallel/test-child-process-server-close.js
index ec95fed67b4fa7..d70926f2e8278e 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-child-process-server-close.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-child-process-server-close.js
@@ -8,11 +8,11 @@ const tmpdir = require('../common/tmpdir');
 tmpdir.refresh();
 
 const server = net.createServer((conn) => {
-  conn.on('close', common.mustCall());
-
   spawn(process.execPath, ['-v'], {
     stdio: ['ignore', conn, 'ignore']
-  }).on('close', common.mustCall());
+  }).on('close', common.mustCall(() => {
+    conn.end();
+  }));
 }).listen(common.PIPE, () => {
   const client = net.connect(common.PIPE, common.mustCall());
   client.on('data', () => {
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-child-process-stdio-merge-stdouts-into-cat.js b/test/parallel/test-child-process-stdio-merge-stdouts-into-cat.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..64373e9e160937
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parallel/test-child-process-stdio-merge-stdouts-into-cat.js
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+'use strict';
+const common = require('../common');
+const assert = require('assert');
+const { spawn } = require('child_process');
+
+// Regression test for https://github.com/nodejs/node/issues/27097.
+// Check that (cat [p1] ; cat [p2]) | cat [p3] works.
+
+const p3 = spawn('cat', { stdio: ['pipe', 'pipe', 'inherit'] });
+const p1 = spawn('cat', { stdio: ['pipe', p3.stdin, 'inherit'] });
+const p2 = spawn('cat', { stdio: ['pipe', p3.stdin, 'inherit'] });
+p3.stdout.setEncoding('utf8');
+
+// Write three different chunks:
+// - 'hello' from this process to p1 to p3 back to us
+// - 'world' from this process to p2 to p3 back to us
+// - 'foobar' from this process  to p3 back to us
+// Do so sequentially in order to avoid race conditions.
+p1.stdin.end('hello\n');
+p3.stdout.once('data', common.mustCall((chunk) => {
+  assert.strictEqual(chunk, 'hello\n');
+  p2.stdin.end('world\n');
+  p3.stdout.once('data', common.mustCall((chunk) => {
+    assert.strictEqual(chunk, 'world\n');
+    p3.stdin.end('foobar\n');
+    p3.stdout.once('data', common.mustCall((chunk) => {
+      assert.strictEqual(chunk, 'foobar\n');
+    }));
+  }));
+}));
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-child-process-stdio-reuse-readable-stdio.js b/test/parallel/test-child-process-stdio-reuse-readable-stdio.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..263270f8e8891f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parallel/test-child-process-stdio-reuse-readable-stdio.js
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+'use strict';
+const common = require('../common');
+const assert = require('assert');
+const { spawn } = require('child_process');
+
+// Check that, once a child process has ended, it’s safe to read from a pipe
+// that the child had used as input.
+// We simulate that using cat | (head -n1; ...)
+
+const p1 = spawn('cat', { stdio: ['pipe', 'pipe', 'inherit'] });
+const p2 = spawn('head', ['-n1'], { stdio: [p1.stdout, 'pipe', 'inherit'] });
+
+// First, write the line that gets passed through p2, making 'head' exit.
+p1.stdin.write('hello\n');
+p2.stdout.setEncoding('utf8');
+p2.stdout.on('data', common.mustCall((chunk) => {
+  assert.strictEqual(chunk, 'hello\n');
+}));
+p2.on('exit', common.mustCall(() => {
+  // We can now use cat’s output, because 'head' is no longer reading from it.
+  p1.stdin.end('world\n');
+  p1.stdout.setEncoding('utf8');
+  p1.stdout.on('data', common.mustCall((chunk) => {
+    assert.strictEqual(chunk, 'world\n');
+  }));
+  p1.stdout.resume();
+}));