diff --git a/redwood-lazylayout-uiview/src/commonMain/kotlin/app/cash/redwood/lazylayout/uiview/UIViewLazyList.kt b/redwood-lazylayout-uiview/src/commonMain/kotlin/app/cash/redwood/lazylayout/uiview/UIViewLazyList.kt
index 10c9f4d975..2a3cd0671f 100644
--- a/redwood-lazylayout-uiview/src/commonMain/kotlin/app/cash/redwood/lazylayout/uiview/UIViewLazyList.kt
+++ b/redwood-lazylayout-uiview/src/commonMain/kotlin/app/cash/redwood/lazylayout/uiview/UIViewLazyList.kt
@@ -74,19 +74,6 @@ internal open class UIViewLazyList(
   protected var onViewportChanged: ((firstVisibleItemIndex: Int, lastVisibleItemIndex: Int) -> Unit)? = null
 
   private val processor = object : LazyListUpdateProcessor<LazyListContainerCell, UIView>() {
-    override fun createView(
-      binding: Binding<LazyListContainerCell, UIView>,
-      index: Int,
-    ): LazyListContainerCell {
-      val result = tableView.dequeueReusableCellWithIdentifier(
-        identifier = reuseIdentifier,
-        forIndexPath = NSIndexPath.indexPathForItem(index.convert(), 0.convert()),
-      ) as LazyListContainerCell
-      require(result.binding == null)
-      result.binding = binding
-      return result
-    }
-
     override fun insertRows(index: Int, count: Int) {
       // TODO(jwilson): pass a range somehow when 'count' is large?
       tableView.insertRowsAtIndexPaths(
@@ -120,7 +107,26 @@ internal open class UIViewLazyList(
     override fun tableView(
       tableView: UITableView,
       cellForRowAtIndexPath: NSIndexPath,
-    ) = processor.getView(cellForRowAtIndexPath.item.toInt())
+    ): LazyListContainerCell {
+      val index = cellForRowAtIndexPath.item.toInt()
+      return processor.getOrCreateBoundView(index) { binding ->
+        createView(tableView, binding, index)
+      }
+    }
+
+    private fun createView(
+      tableView: UITableView,
+      binding: Binding<LazyListContainerCell, UIView>,
+      index: Int,
+    ): LazyListContainerCell {
+      val result = tableView.dequeueReusableCellWithIdentifier(
+        identifier = reuseIdentifier,
+        forIndexPath = NSIndexPath.indexPathForItem(index.convert(), 0.convert()),
+      ) as LazyListContainerCell
+      require(result.binding == null)
+      result.binding = binding
+      return result
+    }
   }
 
   private val tableViewDelegate: UITableViewDelegateProtocol =
diff --git a/redwood-lazylayout-widget/src/commonMain/kotlin/app/cash/redwood/lazylayout/widget/LazyListUpdateProcessor.kt b/redwood-lazylayout-widget/src/commonMain/kotlin/app/cash/redwood/lazylayout/widget/LazyListUpdateProcessor.kt
index 9ec9b1f86f..9305b9ff02 100644
--- a/redwood-lazylayout-widget/src/commonMain/kotlin/app/cash/redwood/lazylayout/widget/LazyListUpdateProcessor.kt
+++ b/redwood-lazylayout-widget/src/commonMain/kotlin/app/cash/redwood/lazylayout/widget/LazyListUpdateProcessor.kt
@@ -270,46 +270,44 @@ public abstract class LazyListUpdateProcessor<V : BoundView<W>, W : Any> {
     return loaded
   }
 
-  public fun getView(index: Int): V {
-    return when {
-      index < itemsBefore.size -> getOrCreatePlaceholder(itemsBefore, index, index)
-      index < itemsBefore.size + loadedItems.size -> getLoadedView(index)
-      else -> getOrCreatePlaceholder(itemsAfter, index - itemsBefore.size - loadedItems.size, index)
-    }
-  }
-
-  private fun getLoadedView(index: Int): V {
-    val binding = loadedItems[index - itemsBefore.size]
+  public fun getOrCreateBoundView(
+    index: Int,
+    createView: (binding: Binding<V, W>) -> V,
+  ): V {
+    val binding = requireBindingAtIndex(index)
 
     var view = binding.view
     if (view == null) {
-      view = createView(binding, index)
+      view = createView(binding)
       binding.bind(view)
     }
 
     return view
   }
 
-  private fun getOrCreatePlaceholder(
-    placeholders: SparseList<Binding<V, W>?>,
-    placeholderIndex: Int,
-    cellIndex: Int,
-  ): V {
-    var binding = placeholders[placeholderIndex]
-
-    // Return an existing placeholder.
-    if (binding != null) return binding.view!!
+  public fun bind(index: Int, view: V): Binding<V, W> {
+    return requireBindingAtIndex(index).apply {
+      bind(view)
+    }
+  }
 
-    // Create a new placeholder cell and bind it to the view.
-    binding = Binding(
-      processor = this,
+  /**
+   * Callers must immediately call [Binding.bind] on the result if it isn't already bound. Otherwise
+   * we could leak placeholder bindings.
+   */
+  private fun requireBindingAtIndex(index: Int): Binding<V, W> {
+    fun createBinding() = Binding(
+      processor = this@LazyListUpdateProcessor,
       isPlaceholder = true,
-    )
-    binding.content = takePlaceholder()
-    val view = createView(binding, cellIndex)
-    binding.bind(view)
-    placeholders.set(placeholderIndex, binding)
-    return view
+    ).apply {
+      content = takePlaceholder()
+    }
+
+    return when {
+      index < itemsBefore.size -> itemsBefore.getOrCreate(index, ::createBinding)
+      index < itemsBefore.size + loadedItems.size -> loadedItems[index - itemsBefore.size]
+      else -> itemsAfter.getOrCreate(index - itemsBefore.size - loadedItems.size, ::createBinding)
+    }
   }
 
   private fun takePlaceholder(): Widget<W> {
@@ -317,8 +315,6 @@ public abstract class LazyListUpdateProcessor<V : BoundView<W>, W : Any> {
       ?: throw IllegalStateException("no more placeholders!")
   }
 
-  protected abstract fun createView(binding: Binding<V, W>, index: Int): V
-
   protected abstract fun insertRows(index: Int, count: Int)
 
   protected abstract fun deleteRows(index: Int, count: Int)
diff --git a/redwood-lazylayout-widget/src/commonMain/kotlin/app/cash/redwood/lazylayout/widget/SparseList.kt b/redwood-lazylayout-widget/src/commonMain/kotlin/app/cash/redwood/lazylayout/widget/SparseList.kt
index 570acea35a..5eaf130bb4 100644
--- a/redwood-lazylayout-widget/src/commonMain/kotlin/app/cash/redwood/lazylayout/widget/SparseList.kt
+++ b/redwood-lazylayout-widget/src/commonMain/kotlin/app/cash/redwood/lazylayout/widget/SparseList.kt
@@ -46,6 +46,16 @@ internal class SparseList<T> : AbstractList<T?>() {
     }
   }
 
+  inline fun getOrCreate(index: Int, create: () -> T & Any): T & Any {
+    var result = get(index)
+
+    if (result != null) return result
+
+    result = create()
+    set(index, result)
+    return result
+  }
+
   fun removeLast(): T? {
     return removeAt(size - 1)
   }
diff --git a/redwood-lazylayout-widget/src/commonTest/kotlin/app/cash/redwood/lazylayout/widget/FakeProcessor.kt b/redwood-lazylayout-widget/src/commonTest/kotlin/app/cash/redwood/lazylayout/widget/FakeProcessor.kt
index ce6c6f18ec..eb8655f340 100644
--- a/redwood-lazylayout-widget/src/commonTest/kotlin/app/cash/redwood/lazylayout/widget/FakeProcessor.kt
+++ b/redwood-lazylayout-widget/src/commonTest/kotlin/app/cash/redwood/lazylayout/widget/FakeProcessor.kt
@@ -26,10 +26,11 @@ class FakeProcessor : LazyListUpdateProcessor<FakeProcessor.StringCell, String>(
   private var scrollWindowOffset = 0
   private val scrollWindowCells = mutableListOf<StringCell>()
 
-  override fun createView(
-    binding: Binding<StringCell, String>,
-    index: Int,
-  ) = StringCell(binding)
+  private fun getView(index: Int): StringCell {
+    return getOrCreateBoundView(index) { binding ->
+      StringCell(binding)
+    }
+  }
 
   override fun insertRows(index: Int, count: Int) {
     require(index >= 0 && count >= 0 && index <= dataSize + 1)