diff --git a/js/src/data.ts b/js/src/data.ts
index 59c785dd34c..98c5e655db8 100644
--- a/js/src/data.ts
+++ b/js/src/data.ts
@@ -262,11 +262,11 @@ export class Data<T extends DataType = DataType> {
     }
     /** @nocollapse */
     public static List<T extends List>(type: T, offset: number, length: number, nullCount: number, nullBitmap: NullBuffer, valueOffsets: ValueOffsetsBuffer, child: Data<T['valueType']> | Vector<T['valueType']>) {
-        return new Data(type, offset, length, nullCount, [toInt32Array(valueOffsets), undefined, toUint8Array(nullBitmap)], [child]);
+        return new Data(type, offset, length, nullCount, [toInt32Array(valueOffsets), undefined, toUint8Array(nullBitmap)], child ? [child] : []);
     }
     /** @nocollapse */
     public static FixedSizeList<T extends FixedSizeList>(type: T, offset: number, length: number, nullCount: number, nullBitmap: NullBuffer, child: Data<T['valueType']> | Vector<T['valueType']>) {
-        return new Data(type, offset, length, nullCount, [undefined, undefined, toUint8Array(nullBitmap)], [child]);
+        return new Data(type, offset, length, nullCount, [undefined, undefined, toUint8Array(nullBitmap)], child ? [child] : []);
     }
     /** @nocollapse */
     public static Struct<T extends Struct>(type: T, offset: number, length: number, nullCount: number, nullBitmap: NullBuffer, children: (Data | Vector)[]) {
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ export class Data<T extends DataType = DataType> {
     }
     /** @nocollapse */
     public static Map<T extends Map_>(type: T, offset: number, length: number, nullCount: number, nullBitmap: NullBuffer, valueOffsets: ValueOffsetsBuffer, child: (Data | Vector)) {
-        return new Data(type, offset, length, nullCount, [toInt32Array(valueOffsets), undefined, toUint8Array(nullBitmap)], [child]);
+        return new Data(type, offset, length, nullCount, [toInt32Array(valueOffsets), undefined, toUint8Array(nullBitmap)], child ? [child] : []);
     }
     public static Union<T extends SparseUnion>(type: T, offset: number, length: number, nullCount: number, nullBitmap: NullBuffer, typeIds: TypeIdsBuffer, children: (Data | Vector)[], _?: any): Data<T>;
     public static Union<T extends DenseUnion>(type: T, offset: number, length: number, nullCount: number, nullBitmap: NullBuffer, typeIds: TypeIdsBuffer, valueOffsets: ValueOffsetsBuffer, children: (Data | Vector)[]): Data<T>;