Development
WordPress child theme: why and how to create one
9 June 2024 · 7 min read
When you make changes to a WordPress theme, a child theme is essential. Without a child theme, all changes are lost during a theme update. This is one of the most common mistakes we see with new WordPress users.
At WP Maintainer we always install a child theme when we make changes.
What is a child theme?
A child theme inherits the functionality and styling of a parent theme. You can make changes in the child theme without modifying the files of the parent theme.
Advantages
- Updates of the parent theme do not overwrite your changes - You can experiment safely - Easy to roll back on problems - Clear: all customisations in one place
How do you create a child theme?
1. Create a new folder in /wp-content/themes/ (e.g. /twentytwentyfour-child/) 2. Create a style.css file with the Theme Header information 3. Create a functions.php file to load styles and scripts 4. Activate the child theme in WordPress
WP Child theme service
We create and manage child themes for all our clients. All changes are implemented safely without risk during updates.