diff --git a/Lib/test/test_socketserver.py b/Lib/test/test_socketserver.py
index dd4532fa4ea..e4cbb2b5888 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_socketserver.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_socketserver.py
@@ -181,10 +181,19 @@ else:
     if hasattr(os, 'fork') and os.name not in ('os2',):
         dgramservers.append(ForkingUnixDatagramServer)
 
+def sloppy_cleanup():
+    # See http://python.org/sf/1540386
+    # We need to reap children here otherwise a child from one server
+    # can be left running for the next server and cause a test failure.
+    time.sleep(DELAY)
+    reap_children()
+
 def testall():
     testloop(socket.AF_INET, tcpservers, MyStreamHandler, teststream)
+    sloppy_cleanup()
     testloop(socket.AF_INET, udpservers, MyDatagramHandler, testdgram)
     if hasattr(socket, 'AF_UNIX'):
+        sloppy_cleanup()
         testloop(socket.AF_UNIX, streamservers, MyStreamHandler, teststream)
         # Alas, on Linux (at least) recvfrom() doesn't return a meaningful
         # client address so this cannot work:
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS b/Misc/NEWS
index 3a1eea893a3..5b81b6637a4 100644
--- a/Misc/NEWS
+++ b/Misc/NEWS
@@ -104,6 +104,9 @@ Extension Modules
 Tests
 -----
 
+- test_socketserver should now work on cygwin and not fail sporadically
+  on other platforms.
+
 - test_mailbox should now work on cygwin versions 2006-08-10 and later.
 
 - Bug #1535182: really test the xreadlines() method of bz2 objects.