diff --git a/src/components/tabs/js/tabsDirective.js b/src/components/tabs/js/tabsDirective.js
index 328ce9a45cc..2ecaeeff67a 100644
--- a/src/components/tabs/js/tabsDirective.js
+++ b/src/components/tabs/js/tabsDirective.js
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ function MdTabs ($mdTheming, $mdUtil, $compile) {
               ng-repeat="(index, tab) in $mdTabsCtrl.tabs" \
               md-template="tab.template"\
               md-scope="tab.parent"\
-              ng-if="tab.isActive()"\
+              md-connected-if="tab.isActive()"\
               ng-class="{\
                 \'md-no-transition\': $mdTabsCtrl.lastSelectedIndex == null,\
                 \'md-active\':        tab.isActive(),\
diff --git a/src/components/tabs/js/templateDirective.js b/src/components/tabs/js/templateDirective.js
index 067e302de53..1c5fecc58d7 100644
--- a/src/components/tabs/js/templateDirective.js
+++ b/src/components/tabs/js/templateDirective.js
@@ -2,19 +2,36 @@ angular
     .module('material.components.tabs')
     .directive('mdTemplate', MdTemplate);
 
-function MdTemplate ($compile) {
+function MdTemplate ($compile, $mdUtil, $timeout) {
   return {
     restrict: 'A',
     link: link,
     scope: {
       template: '=mdTemplate',
-      compileScope: '=mdScope'
+      compileScope: '=mdScope',
+      connected: '=?mdConnectedIf'
     },
     require: '^?mdTabs'
   };
   function link (scope, element, attr, ctrl) {
     if (!ctrl) return;
+    var connected = true;
     element.html(scope.template);
     $compile(element.contents())(scope.compileScope);
+    $timeout(handleScope);
+    function handleScope () {
+      scope.$watch('connected', function (value) { value ? disconnect() : reconnect(); });
+      scope.$on('$destroy', reconnect);
+    }
+    function disconnect () {
+      if (!connected) return;
+      $mdUtil.disconnectScope(scope.compileScope);
+      connected = false;
+    }
+    function reconnect () {
+      if (connected) return;
+      $mdUtil.reconnectScope(scope.compileScope);
+      connected = true;
+    }
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/components/tabs/tabs.scss b/src/components/tabs/tabs.scss
index 029419fb865..71e944c6445 100644
--- a/src/components/tabs/tabs.scss
+++ b/src/components/tabs/tabs.scss
@@ -63,6 +63,11 @@ md-tabs {
         padding-bottom: 11px;
       }
     }
+    &:not([md-dynamic-height]) {
+      md-tabs-content-wrapper {
+        top: $tabs-header-height + 1;
+      }
+    }
   }
 }
 md-tabs-wrapper {