diff --git a/lib/RepeatableField/RepeatableField.js b/lib/RepeatableField/RepeatableField.js
index ccbae5f03..f8dd47205 100644
--- a/lib/RepeatableField/RepeatableField.js
+++ b/lib/RepeatableField/RepeatableField.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import React, { useRef, useEffect } from 'react';
+import React, { useRef, useEffect, useState } from 'react';
 import classnames from 'classnames';
 import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
 import { FormattedMessage } from 'react-intl';
@@ -10,8 +10,6 @@ import EmptyMessage from '../EmptyMessage';
 import IconButton from '../IconButton';
 import { RepeatableFieldContent } from './RepeatableFieldContent';
 import css from './RepeatableField.css';
-import { useFocusedIndex } from './hooks/useFocusedIndex';
-import { useIsElementFocused } from './hooks/useIsElementFocused';
 import { getFirstFocusable } from '../../util/getFocusableElements';
 
 const RepeatableField = ({
@@ -33,8 +31,7 @@ const RepeatableField = ({
   const rootRef = useRef(null);
   const showDeleteBtn = typeof onRemove === 'function';
   const fieldsLength = fields.length;
-  const isSomeChildElementFocused = useIsElementFocused(rootRef);
-  const focusedIndex = useFocusedIndex(fieldsLength);
+  const [hasBeenFocused, setHasBeenFocused] = useState(false);
 
   // use mutation observers to handle focus-management since we only have internal state.
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -46,8 +43,12 @@ const RepeatableField = ({
         const removedNode = mutation.removedNodes?.[0];
         let rowElem;
         // Handle added node
-        if (rootRef.current.matches(':focus-within')) {
-          if (addedNode && addedNode.matches(`.${css.repeatableFieldItem}`)) {
+        // we check if the user has interacted with the component before handling this, otherwise focus could be
+        // unwantedly moved when a form is initialized.
+        if (hasBeenFocused) {
+          if (addedNode &&
+            addedNode.nodeType === 1 &&
+            addedNode.matches(`.${css.repeatableFieldItem}`)) {
             rowElem = getFirstFocusable(addedNode);
             rowElem?.focus();
           }
@@ -74,9 +75,7 @@ const RepeatableField = ({
     return () => {
       observer.disconnect();
     };
-  }, [])
-
-  const hasToBeFocused = (index) => isSomeChildElementFocused && focusedIndex === index;
+  }, [hasBeenFocused])
 
   return (
     <fieldset
@@ -84,6 +83,8 @@ const RepeatableField = ({
       id={id}
       data-test-repeatable-field
       className={classnames(css.repeatableField, { [css.hasMargin]: hasMargin }, className)}
+      tabIndex="-1"
+      onFocus={() => { setHasBeenFocused(true) }}
     >
       {legend && (
         <Headline
@@ -126,7 +127,6 @@ const RepeatableField = ({
             >
               <RepeatableFieldContent
                 rootRef={rootRef}
-                isFocused={hasToBeFocused(index)}
               >
                 {renderField(field, index, fields)}
               </RepeatableFieldContent>