diff --git a/src/helpers/__tests__/component-tree.test.tsx b/src/helpers/__tests__/component-tree.test.tsx
index c3f0b773..83d76461 100644
--- a/src/helpers/__tests__/component-tree.test.tsx
+++ b/src/helpers/__tests__/component-tree.test.tsx
@@ -1,12 +1,7 @@
 import React from 'react';
-import { Text, TextInput, View } from 'react-native';
+import { View } from 'react-native';
 import { render, screen } from '../..';
-import {
-  getHostChildren,
-  getHostSelves,
-  getHostSiblings,
-  getUnsafeRootElement,
-} from '../component-tree';
+import { getHostSiblings, getUnsafeRootElement } from '../component-tree';
 
 function MultipleHostChildren() {
   return (
@@ -18,98 +13,6 @@ function MultipleHostChildren() {
   );
 }
 
-describe('getHostChildren()', () => {
-  it('returns host children for host component', () => {
-    render(
-      <View testID="grandparent">
-        <View testID="parent">
-          <View testID="subject" />
-          <Text testID="sibling">Hello</Text>
-        </View>
-      </View>,
-    );
-
-    const hostSubject = screen.getByTestId('subject');
-    expect(getHostChildren(hostSubject)).toEqual([]);
-
-    const hostSibling = screen.getByTestId('sibling');
-    expect(getHostChildren(hostSibling)).toEqual([]);
-
-    const hostParent = screen.getByTestId('parent');
-    expect(getHostChildren(hostParent)).toEqual([hostSubject, hostSibling]);
-
-    const hostGrandparent = screen.getByTestId('grandparent');
-    expect(getHostChildren(hostGrandparent)).toEqual([hostParent]);
-  });
-
-  it('returns host children for composite component', () => {
-    render(
-      <View testID="parent">
-        <MultipleHostChildren />
-        <View testID="subject" />
-        <View testID="sibling" />
-      </View>,
-    );
-
-    expect(getHostChildren(screen.getByTestId('parent'))).toEqual([
-      screen.getByTestId('child1'),
-      screen.getByTestId('child2'),
-      screen.getByTestId('child3'),
-      screen.getByTestId('subject'),
-      screen.getByTestId('sibling'),
-    ]);
-  });
-});
-
-describe('getHostSelves()', () => {
-  it('returns passed element for host components', () => {
-    render(
-      <View testID="grandparent">
-        <View testID="parent">
-          <View testID="subject" />
-          <View testID="sibling" />
-        </View>
-      </View>,
-    );
-
-    const hostSubject = screen.getByTestId('subject');
-    expect(getHostSelves(hostSubject)).toEqual([hostSubject]);
-
-    const hostSibling = screen.getByTestId('sibling');
-    expect(getHostSelves(hostSibling)).toEqual([hostSibling]);
-
-    const hostParent = screen.getByTestId('parent');
-    expect(getHostSelves(hostParent)).toEqual([hostParent]);
-
-    const hostGrandparent = screen.getByTestId('grandparent');
-    expect(getHostSelves(hostGrandparent)).toEqual([hostGrandparent]);
-  });
-
-  test('returns single host element for React Native composite components', () => {
-    render(
-      <View testID="parent">
-        <Text testID="text">Text</Text>
-        <TextInput
-          testID="textInput"
-          defaultValue="TextInputValue"
-          placeholder="TextInputPlaceholder"
-        />
-      </View>,
-    );
-
-    const compositeText = screen.getByText('Text');
-    const hostText = screen.getByTestId('text');
-    expect(getHostSelves(compositeText)).toEqual([hostText]);
-
-    const compositeTextInputByValue = screen.getByDisplayValue('TextInputValue');
-    const compositeTextInputByPlaceholder = screen.getByPlaceholderText('TextInputPlaceholder');
-
-    const hostTextInput = screen.getByTestId('textInput');
-    expect(getHostSelves(compositeTextInputByValue)).toEqual([hostTextInput]);
-    expect(getHostSelves(compositeTextInputByPlaceholder)).toEqual([hostTextInput]);
-  });
-});
-
 describe('getHostSiblings()', () => {
   it('returns host siblings for host component', () => {
     render(
diff --git a/src/helpers/component-tree.ts b/src/helpers/component-tree.ts
index c28b4944..7209617b 100644
--- a/src/helpers/component-tree.ts
+++ b/src/helpers/component-tree.ts
@@ -8,51 +8,17 @@ export function isHostElement(element?: HostElement | null): element is HostElem
   return typeof element?.type === 'string' && element.type !== 'CONTAINER';
 }
 
-/**
- * Returns host children for given element.
- * @param element The element start traversing from.
- */
-export function getHostChildren(element: HostElement | null): HostElement[] {
-  if (element == null) {
-    return [];
-  }
-
-  const hostChildren: HostElement[] = [];
-
-  element.children.forEach((child) => {
-    if (typeof child !== 'object') {
-      return;
-    }
-
-    if (isHostElement(child)) {
-      hostChildren.push(child);
-    } else {
-      hostChildren.push(...getHostChildren(child));
-    }
-  });
-
-  return hostChildren;
-}
-
-/**
- * Return the array of host elements that represent the passed element.
- *
- * @param element The element start traversing from.
- * @returns If the passed element is a host element, it will return an array containing only that element,
- * if the passed element is a composite element, it will return an array containing its host children (zero, one or many).
- */
-export function getHostSelves(element: HostElement | null): HostElement[] {
-  return isHostElement(element) ? [element] : getHostChildren(element);
-}
-
 /**
  * Returns host siblings for given element.
  * @param element The element start traversing from.
  */
 export function getHostSiblings(element: HostElement | null): HostElement[] {
   const hostParent = element?.parent ?? null;
-  const hostSelves = getHostSelves(element);
-  return getHostChildren(hostParent).filter((sibling) => !hostSelves.includes(sibling));
+  return (
+    hostParent?.children.filter(
+      (sibling): sibling is HostElement => typeof sibling === 'object' && sibling !== element,
+    ) ?? []
+  );
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/matchers/to-be-empty-element.tsx b/src/matchers/to-be-empty-element.tsx
index 22add614..98306f7c 100644
--- a/src/matchers/to-be-empty-element.tsx
+++ b/src/matchers/to-be-empty-element.tsx
@@ -1,12 +1,11 @@
 import { matcherHint, RECEIVED_COLOR } from 'jest-matcher-utils';
-import { getHostChildren } from '../helpers/component-tree';
 import { HostElement } from '../renderer/host-element';
 import { checkHostElement, formatElementArray } from './utils';
 
 export function toBeEmptyElement(this: jest.MatcherContext, element: HostElement) {
   checkHostElement(element, toBeEmptyElement, this);
 
-  const hostChildren = getHostChildren(element);
+  const hostChildren = element.children;
 
   return {
     pass: hostChildren.length === 0,
diff --git a/src/matchers/utils.tsx b/src/matchers/utils.tsx
index 87a10fba..ee25eb00 100644
--- a/src/matchers/utils.tsx
+++ b/src/matchers/utils.tsx
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import prettyFormat, { plugins } from 'pretty-format';
 import redent from 'redent';
 import { isHostElement } from '../helpers/component-tree';
 import { defaultMapProps } from '../helpers/format-default';
-import { HostElement } from '../renderer/host-element';
+import { HostElement, HostNode } from '../renderer/host-element';
 
 class HostElementTypeError extends Error {
   constructor(received: unknown, matcherFn: jest.CustomMatcher, context: jest.MatcherContext) {
@@ -60,11 +60,15 @@ export function checkHostElement(
  *
  * @param element Element to format.
  */
-export function formatElement(element: HostElement | null) {
+export function formatElement(element: HostNode | null) {
   if (element == null) {
     return '  null';
   }
 
+  if (typeof element === 'string') {
+    return element;
+  }
+
   const { children, ...props } = element.props;
   const childrenToDisplay = typeof children === 'string' ? [children] : undefined;
 
@@ -89,7 +93,7 @@ export function formatElement(element: HostElement | null) {
   );
 }
 
-export function formatElementArray(elements: HostElement[]) {
+export function formatElementArray(elements: HostNode[]) {
   if (elements.length === 0) {
     return '  (no elements)';
   }