diff --git a/include/wx/xrc/xmlres.h b/include/wx/xrc/xmlres.h
index 8924bcc391..88c71fef49 100644
--- a/include/wx/xrc/xmlres.h
+++ b/include/wx/xrc/xmlres.h
@@ -481,6 +481,7 @@ public:
     // e.g. <object class="wxDialog">.
     bool IsOfClass(wxXmlNode *node, const wxString& classname) const;
 
+    bool IsObjectNode(const wxXmlNode *node) const;
     // Gets node content from wxXML_ENTITY_NODE
     // The problem is, <tag>content<tag> is represented as
     // wxXML_ENTITY_NODE name="tag", content=""
@@ -488,6 +489,10 @@ public:
     //        wxXML_CDATA_SECTION_NODE name="" content="content"
     wxString GetNodeContent(const wxXmlNode *node);
 
+    wxXmlNode *GetNodeParent(const wxXmlNode *node) const;
+    wxXmlNode *GetNodeNext(const wxXmlNode *node) const;
+    wxXmlNode *GetNodeChildren(const wxXmlNode *node) const;
+
     // Check to see if a parameter exists.
     bool HasParam(const wxString& param);
 
diff --git a/include/wx/xrc/xmlreshandler.h b/include/wx/xrc/xmlreshandler.h
index 7aa12b7bc6..c5ee3cc2e6 100644
--- a/include/wx/xrc/xmlreshandler.h
+++ b/include/wx/xrc/xmlreshandler.h
@@ -52,7 +52,11 @@ public:
     virtual wxObject *CreateResource(wxXmlNode *node, wxObject *parent,
                                      wxObject *instance) = 0;
     virtual bool IsOfClass(wxXmlNode *node, const wxString& classname) const = 0;
+    virtual bool IsObjectNode(const wxXmlNode *node) const = 0;
     virtual wxString GetNodeContent(const wxXmlNode *node) = 0;
+    virtual wxXmlNode *GetNodeParent(const wxXmlNode *node) const = 0;
+    virtual wxXmlNode *GetNodeNext(const wxXmlNode *node) const = 0;
+    virtual wxXmlNode *GetNodeChildren(const wxXmlNode *node) const = 0;
     virtual bool HasParam(const wxString& param) = 0;
     virtual wxXmlNode *GetParamNode(const wxString& param) = 0;
     virtual wxString GetParamValue(const wxString& param) = 0;
@@ -206,10 +210,29 @@ protected:
     {
         return GetImpl()->IsOfClass(node, classname);
     }
+
+    bool IsObjectNode(const wxXmlNode *node) const
+    {
+        return GetImpl()->IsObjectNode(node);
+    }
     wxString GetNodeContent(const wxXmlNode *node)
     {
         return GetImpl()->GetNodeContent(node);
     }
+
+    wxXmlNode *GetNodeParent(const wxXmlNode *node) const
+    {
+        return GetImpl()->GetNodeParent(node);
+    }
+    wxXmlNode *GetNodeNext(const wxXmlNode *node) const
+    {
+        return GetImpl()->GetNodeNext(node);
+    }
+    wxXmlNode *GetNodeChildren(const wxXmlNode *node) const
+    {
+        return GetImpl()->GetNodeChildren(node);
+    }
+
     bool HasParam(const wxString& param)
     {
         return GetImpl()->HasParam(param);
diff --git a/interface/wx/xrc/xmlres.h b/interface/wx/xrc/xmlres.h
index 72583a6e86..42217ed965 100644
--- a/interface/wx/xrc/xmlres.h
+++ b/interface/wx/xrc/xmlres.h
@@ -651,11 +651,50 @@ protected:
     */
     wxString GetName();
 
+    /**
+        Checks if the given node is an object node.
+
+        Object nodes are those named "object" or "object_ref".
+
+        @since 3.1.0
+    */
+    bool IsObjectNode(const wxXmlNode *node) const;
     /**
         Gets node content from wxXML_ENTITY_NODE.
     */
     wxString GetNodeContent(wxXmlNode* node);
 
+    /**
+        Gets the parent of the node given.
+
+        This method is safe to call with @NULL argument, it just returns @NULL
+        in this case.
+
+        @since 3.1.0
+    */
+    wxXmlNode *GetNodeParent(const wxXmlNode *node) const;
+
+    /**
+        Gets the next sibling node related to the given node, possibly @NULL.
+
+        This method is safe to call with @NULL argument, it just returns @NULL
+        in this case.
+
+        @since 3.1.0
+    */
+    wxXmlNode *GetNodeNext(const wxXmlNode *node) const;
+
+    /**
+        Gets the first child of the given node or @NULL.
+
+        This method is safe to call with @NULL argument, it just returns @NULL
+        in this case.
+
+        @since 3.1.0
+    */
+    wxXmlNode *GetNodeChildren(const wxXmlNode *node) const;
+
+
     /**
         Finds the node or returns @NULL.
     */
diff --git a/src/xrc/xh_auitoolb.cpp b/src/xrc/xh_auitoolb.cpp
index 1b16eee8f3..2043594835 100644
--- a/src/xrc/xh_auitoolb.cpp
+++ b/src/xrc/xh_auitoolb.cpp
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ wxObject *wxAuiToolBarXmlHandler::DoCreateResource()
             // also check for the menu specified inside dropdown (it is
             // optional and may be absent for e.g. dynamically-created
             // menus)
-            wxXmlNode * const nodeMenu = nodeDropdown->GetChildren();
+            wxXmlNode * const nodeMenu = GetNodeChildren(nodeDropdown);
             if ( nodeMenu )
             {
                 wxObject *res = CreateResFromNode(nodeMenu, NULL);
@@ -98,11 +98,11 @@ wxObject *wxAuiToolBarXmlHandler::DoCreateResource()
                     );
                 }
 
-                if ( nodeMenu->GetNext() )
+                if ( GetNodeNext(nodeMenu) )
                 {
                     ReportError
                     (
-                        nodeMenu->GetNext(),
+                        GetNodeNext(nodeMenu),
                         "unexpected extra contents under drop-down tool"
                     );
                 }
@@ -195,8 +195,7 @@ wxObject *wxAuiToolBarXmlHandler::DoCreateResource()
 
         while (n)
         {
-            if ((n->GetType() == wxXML_ELEMENT_NODE) &&
-                (n->GetName() == wxS("object") || n->GetName() == wxS("object_ref")))
+            if (IsObjectNode(n))
             {
                 wxObject *created = CreateResFromNode(n, toolbar, NULL);
                 wxControl *control = wxDynamicCast(created, wxControl);
@@ -206,7 +205,7 @@ wxObject *wxAuiToolBarXmlHandler::DoCreateResource()
                     control != NULL)
                     toolbar->AddControl(control);
             }
-            n = n->GetNext();
+            n = GetNodeNext(n);
         }
 
         m_isInside = false;
diff --git a/src/xrc/xmlres.cpp b/src/xrc/xmlres.cpp
index 49967c1024..473db8717d 100644
--- a/src/xrc/xmlres.cpp
+++ b/src/xrc/xmlres.cpp
@@ -2007,6 +2007,13 @@ bool wxXmlResourceHandlerImpl::IsOfClass(wxXmlNode *node, const wxString& classn
 }
 
 
+bool wxXmlResourceHandlerImpl::IsObjectNode(const wxXmlNode *node) const
+{
+    return node &&
+            node->GetType() == wxXML_ELEMENT_NODE &&
+                (node->GetName() == wxS("object") ||
+                    node->GetName() == wxS("object_ref"));
+}
 
 wxString wxXmlResourceHandlerImpl::GetNodeContent(const wxXmlNode *node)
 {
@@ -2024,6 +2031,21 @@ wxString wxXmlResourceHandlerImpl::GetNodeContent(const wxXmlNode *node)
     return wxEmptyString;
 }
 
+wxXmlNode *wxXmlResourceHandlerImpl::GetNodeParent(const wxXmlNode *node) const
+{
+    return node ? node->GetParent() : NULL;
+}
+
+wxXmlNode *wxXmlResourceHandlerImpl::GetNodeNext(const wxXmlNode *node) const
+{
+    return node ? node->GetNext() : NULL;
+}
+
+wxXmlNode *wxXmlResourceHandlerImpl::GetNodeChildren(const wxXmlNode *node) const
+{
+    return node ? node->GetChildren() : NULL;
+}
+
 
 
 wxString wxXmlResourceHandlerImpl::GetParamValue(const wxString& param)