diff --git a/lib/internal/child_process.js b/lib/internal/child_process.js
index e6258367402..6438e6b650b 100644
--- a/lib/internal/child_process.js
+++ b/lib/internal/child_process.js
@@ -301,9 +301,7 @@ function flushStdio(subprocess) {
     // 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]) {
+    if (!stream || !stream.readable || stream[kIsUsedAsStdio]) {
       continue;
     }
     stream.resume();