diff --git a/lib/mongoosastic.js b/lib/mongoosastic.js
index a2ebaf9e..7d85f668 100644
--- a/lib/mongoosastic.js
+++ b/lib/mongoosastic.js
@@ -203,7 +203,9 @@ function Mongoosastic (schema, pluginOpts) {
   let bulkTimeout
   let bulkBuffer = []
   let esClient
+  let mongoose = options && options.mongoose
   let populate = options && options.populate
+  let populateChildren = options && options.populateChildren
   let mapping = getMapping(schema)
 
   let indexName = options && options.index
@@ -239,6 +241,7 @@ function Mongoosastic (schema, pluginOpts) {
 
   function postSave (doc) {
     let _doc
+
     function onIndex (err, res) {
       if (!filter || !filter(doc)) {
         doc.emit('es-indexed', err, res)
@@ -247,18 +250,44 @@ function Mongoosastic (schema, pluginOpts) {
       }
     }
 
+    function postPopulate (err, popDoc) {
+      if (err) {
+        // console.error('ERROR: Failed to populate children documents. Error:', err);
+        onIndex(err, popDoc);
+      } else {
+        popDoc.index(onIndex);
+      }
+    }
+
+    function postPopulateChildren (err, popChildDoc) {
+      if (err) {
+        // console.error('ERROR: Failed to populate documents. Error:', err);
+        postPopulateChildren(err);
+      } else {
+        if (populate && populate.length) {
+          populate.forEach(populateOpts => {
+            popChildDoc.populate(populateOpts)
+          })
+          popChildDoc.execPopulate().then(popChildDoc => {
+            postPopulate(null, popChildDoc);
+          }).catch(postPopulate)
+        } else {
+          postPopulate(null, popChildDoc);
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
     if (doc) {
       _doc = new doc.constructor(doc)
-      if (populate && populate.length) {
-        populate.forEach(populateOpts => {
-          _doc.populate(populateOpts)
-        })
-        _doc.execPopulate().then(popDoc => {
-          popDoc.index(onIndex)
-        }).catch(onIndex)
+
+      if (populateChildren && populateChildren.length) {
+        _doc.populateChildren(populateChildren).then((popChildDoc) => {
+          postPopulateChildren(null, popChildDoc);
+        }).catch(postPopulateChildren);
       } else {
-        _doc.index(onIndex)
+        postPopulateChildren(null, _doc);
       }
+
     }
   }
 
@@ -343,6 +372,28 @@ function Mongoosastic (schema, pluginOpts) {
     }, cb)
   }
 
+  schema.methods.populateChildren = function populateChildren (inOpts) {
+    let promises = [],
+      opts = inOpts;
+    opts.forEach(opt => {
+      promises.push(this.populateChild(opt));
+    });
+    return Promise.all(promises).then(() => {
+      return Promise.resolve(this);
+    });
+  };
+
+  schema.methods.populateChild = function populateChild (inOpts) {
+    let opts = inOpts,
+      query = {};
+    query[opts.childKey] = {
+      $in: this.get('_id')
+    };
+    return mongoose.model(opts.ref).find(query).lean().distinct('_id').then(childDocIds => {
+      this[opts.key] = childDocIds;
+    });
+  };
+
   /**
    * @param options  Object (optional)
    * @param cb Function