diff --git a/examples/basic/app.js b/examples/basic/app.js
index b781df5c33..5dc41dd89a 100644
--- a/examples/basic/app.js
+++ b/examples/basic/app.js
@@ -83,6 +83,30 @@ const App = React.createClass({
             <p>Source: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoshi" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a></p>
           </TabPanel>
         </Tabs>
+
+        <Tabs>
+          <TabList>
+            <small style={{ padding: '0 10px' }}>Tabs:</small>
+            <Tab>Tab A</Tab>
+            <Tab>Tab B</Tab>
+            <code style={{ padding: '0 10px' }}>(separator)</code>
+            <Tab>Tab C</Tab>
+            <span style={{ padding: '0 10px' }}><small>End of tabs</small></span>
+          </TabList>
+
+          <TabPanel>
+            <h2>This is Tab A</h2>
+            <p>You can put arbitrary elements inside <code>{'<TabList>'}</code>.</p>
+          </TabPanel>
+          <TabPanel>
+            <h2>This is Tab B</h2>
+            <p>Navigating through the tabs with the keyboard will skip these arbitrary elements.</p>
+          </TabPanel>
+          <TabPanel>
+            <h2>This is Tab C</h2>
+            <p>Just mind that the output might be invalid HTML (<code>{'<div>'}</code> inside a <code>{'<ul>'}</code> for instance).</p>
+          </TabPanel>
+        </Tabs>
       </div>
     );
   },
diff --git a/src/components/Tabs.js b/src/components/Tabs.js
index a230f35db3..3f28f23891 100644
--- a/src/components/Tabs.js
+++ b/src/components/Tabs.js
@@ -142,9 +142,12 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
   },
 
   getTabsCount() {
-    return this.props.children && this.props.children[0] ?
-            React.Children.count(this.props.children[0].props.children) :
-            0;
+    if (this.props.children && this.props.children[0]) {
+      const tabs = this.props.children[0].props.children.filter(x => x.type === Tab);
+      return React.Children.count(tabs);
+    }
+
+    return 0;
   },
 
   getPanelsCount() {
@@ -202,6 +205,12 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
               return null;
             }
 
+            // Exit early if this is not a tab. That way we can have arbitrary
+            // elements anywhere inside <TabList>
+            if (tab.type !== Tab) {
+              return tab;
+            }
+
             const ref = `tabs-${index}`;
             const id = tabIds[index];
             const panelId = panelIds[index];
@@ -210,17 +219,13 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
 
             index++;
 
-            if (tab.type === Tab) {
-              return cloneElement(tab, {
-                ref,
-                id,
-                panelId,
-                selected,
-                focus,
-              });
-            }
-
-            return tab;
+            return cloneElement(tab, {
+              ref,
+              id,
+              panelId,
+              selected,
+              focus,
+            });
           }),
         });
 
@@ -282,7 +287,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
           return;
         }
 
-        const index = [].slice.call(node.parentNode.children).indexOf(node);
+        const index = [].slice.call(node.parentNode.children).filter(isTabNode).indexOf(node);
         this.setSelected(index);
         return;
       }
diff --git a/src/components/__tests__/Tabs-test.js b/src/components/__tests__/Tabs-test.js
index 7094504d78..20ad66eccc 100644
--- a/src/components/__tests__/Tabs-test.js
+++ b/src/components/__tests__/Tabs-test.js
@@ -190,22 +190,30 @@ describe('react-tabs', () => {
     it('should not clone non tabs element', () => {
       class Demo extends React.Component {
         render() {
-          const plus = <div ref="yolo">+</div>;
+          const arbitrary1 = <div ref="arbitrary1">One</div>;
+          const arbitrary2 = <span ref="arbitrary2">Two</span>;
+          const arbitrary3 = <small ref="arbitrary3">Three</small>;
 
           return (<Tabs>
             <TabList>
+              {arbitrary1}
               <Tab>Foo</Tab>
-              {plus}
+              {arbitrary2}
+              <Tab>Bar</Tab>
+              {arbitrary3}
             </TabList>
 
             <TabPanel>Hello Baz</TabPanel>
+            <TabPanel>Hello Faz</TabPanel>
           </Tabs>);
         }
       }
 
       const wrapper = mount(<Demo />);
 
-      expect(wrapper.ref('yolo').text()).toBe('+');
+      expect(wrapper.ref('arbitrary1').text()).toBe('One');
+      expect(wrapper.ref('arbitrary2').text()).toBe('Two');
+      expect(wrapper.ref('arbitrary3').text()).toBe('Three');
     });
   });
 
diff --git a/src/helpers/childrenPropType.js b/src/helpers/childrenPropType.js
index f13e8a0282..007178aa91 100644
--- a/src/helpers/childrenPropType.js
+++ b/src/helpers/childrenPropType.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import React from 'react';
 import Tab from '../components/Tab';
 import TabList from '../components/TabList';
+import TabPanel from '../components/TabPanel';
 
 module.exports = function childrenPropTypes(props, propName) {
   let error;
@@ -27,7 +28,7 @@ module.exports = function childrenPropTypes(props, propName) {
           tabsCount++;
         }
       });
-    } else if (child.type.displayName === 'TabPanel') {
+    } else if (child.type === TabPanel) {
       panelsCount++;
     } else {
       error = new Error(