CSS :first-child pseudo-class

Definition and usage

CSS :first-child Pseudo-classes are used to select elements that are the first child of their parent element (within a group of sibling elements).

Example

Example 1

Select and set the style of each <p> element that is the first child of its parent element:

p:first-child {
  background-color: yellow;
}

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Example 2

Select and set the style of each <i> element that is the first child of its parent element:

i:first-child {
  background: yellow;
}

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Example 3

Select and set the style of the first <li> element in the list:

li:first-child {
  background: yellow;
}

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Example 4

Select and set the style of the first child of each <ul> element:

ul > :first-child {
  background: yellow;
}

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CSS syntax

:first-child {
  css declarations;
}

Technical details

Browser support

The numbers in the table specify the first browser version to fully support this pseudo-class.