diff --git a/trio/_subprocess/linux_waitpid.py b/trio/_subprocess/linux_waitpid.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..33cd1c01f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/trio/_subprocess/linux_waitpid.py
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+import attr
+import functools
+import os
+import outcome
+from typing import Any
+
+from .. import _core
+from .._sync import Event
+from .._threads import run_sync_in_worker_thread
+
+
+@attr.s
+class WaitpidState:
+    pid = attr.ib()
+    event = attr.ib(default=attr.Factory(Event))
+    outcome = attr.ib(default=None)
+
+
+# https://github.com/python-trio/trio/issues/618
+class StubLimiter:
+    def release_on_behalf_of(self, x):
+        pass
+
+    async def acquire_on_behalf_of(self, x):
+        pass
+
+
+waitpid_limiter = StubLimiter()
+
+
+# adapted from
+# https://github.com/python-trio/trio/issues/4#issuecomment-398967572
+async def _task(state: WaitpidState) -> None:
+    """The waitpid thread runner task. This must be spawned as a system
+    task."""
+    partial = functools.partial(
+        os.waitpid,  # function
+        state.pid,  # pid
+        0  # no options
+    )
+
+    tresult = await run_sync_in_worker_thread(
+        outcome.capture, partial, cancellable=True, limiter=waitpid_limiter
+    )
+    state.outcome = tresult
+    state.event.set()
+
+
+async def waitpid(pid: int) -> Any:
+    """Waits for a child process with the specified PID to finish running."""
+    waiter = WaitpidState(pid=pid)
+    _core.spawn_system_task(_task, waiter)
+
+    await waiter.event.wait()
+    return waiter.outcome.unwrap()
diff --git a/trio/tests/subprocess/test_waitpid_linux.py b/trio/tests/subprocess/test_waitpid_linux.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..53a37c61a1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/trio/tests/subprocess/test_waitpid_linux.py
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+import sys
+
+import os
+import pytest
+import signal
+
+from ... import _core
+from ..._subprocess.linux_waitpid import waitpid
+
+pytestmark = pytest.mark.skipif(
+    sys.platform != "linux", reason="linux waitpid only works on linux"
+)
+
+
+async def test_waitpid():
+    pid = os.spawnvp(os.P_NOWAIT, "/bin/false", ("false",))
+    result = await waitpid(pid)
+    # exit code is a 16-bit int: (code, signal)
+    assert result[0] == pid
+    assert os.WIFEXITED(result[1]) and os.WEXITSTATUS(result[1]) == 1
+
+    pid2 = os.spawnvp(os.P_NOWAIT, "/bin/true", ("true",))
+    result = await waitpid(pid2)
+    assert result[0] == pid2
+    assert os.WIFEXITED(result[1]) and os.WEXITSTATUS(result[1]) == 0
+
+    pid3 = os.spawnvp(os.P_NOWAIT, "/bin/sleep", ("/bin/sleep", "5"))
+    os.kill(pid3, signal.SIGKILL)
+    result = await waitpid(pid3)
+    assert result[0] == pid3
+    status = os.WTERMSIG(result[1])
+    assert os.WIFSIGNALED(result[1]) and status == 9
+
+
+async def test_waitpid_no_process():
+    with pytest.raises(ChildProcessError):
+        # this PID does exist, but it's ourselves
+        # which doesn't work
+        await waitpid(os.getpid())