diff --git a/packages/mui-material/src/Fade/Fade.js b/packages/mui-material/src/Fade/Fade.js
index ad0f669096ccb8..d618b514bb2d7a 100644
--- a/packages/mui-material/src/Fade/Fade.js
+++ b/packages/mui-material/src/Fade/Fade.js
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import elementAcceptingRef from '@mui/utils/elementAcceptingRef';
 import { useTheme } from '../zero-styled';
 import { reflow, getTransitionProps } from '../transitions/utils';
 import useForkRef from '../utils/useForkRef';
+import getChildRef from '../utils/getChildRef';
 
 const styles = {
   entering: {
@@ -48,7 +49,7 @@ const Fade = React.forwardRef(function Fade(props, ref) {
 
   const enableStrictModeCompat = true;
   const nodeRef = React.useRef(null);
-  const handleRef = useForkRef(nodeRef, children.ref, ref);
+  const handleRef = useForkRef(nodeRef, getChildRef(children), ref);
 
   const normalizedTransitionCallback = (callback) => (maybeIsAppearing) => {
     if (callback) {
diff --git a/packages/mui-material/src/Grow/Grow.js b/packages/mui-material/src/Grow/Grow.js
index d4f57bf40161fc..427166ec32c8ef 100644
--- a/packages/mui-material/src/Grow/Grow.js
+++ b/packages/mui-material/src/Grow/Grow.js
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import { Transition } from 'react-transition-group';
 import { useTheme } from '../zero-styled';
 import { getTransitionProps, reflow } from '../transitions/utils';
 import useForkRef from '../utils/useForkRef';
+import getChildRef from '../utils/getChildRef';
 
 function getScale(value) {
   return `scale(${value}, ${value ** 2})`;
@@ -61,7 +62,7 @@ const Grow = React.forwardRef(function Grow(props, ref) {
   const theme = useTheme();
 
   const nodeRef = React.useRef(null);
-  const handleRef = useForkRef(nodeRef, children.ref, ref);
+  const handleRef = useForkRef(nodeRef, getChildRef(children), ref);
 
   const normalizedTransitionCallback = (callback) => (maybeIsAppearing) => {
     if (callback) {
diff --git a/packages/mui-material/src/Slide/Slide.js b/packages/mui-material/src/Slide/Slide.js
index 556ede01df8ff4..d669e811d6f115 100644
--- a/packages/mui-material/src/Slide/Slide.js
+++ b/packages/mui-material/src/Slide/Slide.js
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import useForkRef from '../utils/useForkRef';
 import { useTheme } from '../zero-styled';
 import { reflow, getTransitionProps } from '../transitions/utils';
 import { ownerWindow } from '../utils';
+import getChildRef from '../utils/getChildRef';
 
 // Translate the node so it can't be seen on the screen.
 // Later, we're going to translate the node back to its original location with `none`.
@@ -119,7 +120,7 @@ const Slide = React.forwardRef(function Slide(props, ref) {
   } = props;
 
   const childrenRef = React.useRef(null);
-  const handleRef = useForkRef(children.ref, childrenRef, ref);
+  const handleRef = useForkRef(getChildRef(children), childrenRef, ref);
 
   const normalizedTransitionCallback = (callback) => (isAppearing) => {
     if (callback) {
diff --git a/packages/mui-material/src/Tooltip/Tooltip.js b/packages/mui-material/src/Tooltip/Tooltip.js
index a179afe021eaa4..5dbf3bf55eb9db 100644
--- a/packages/mui-material/src/Tooltip/Tooltip.js
+++ b/packages/mui-material/src/Tooltip/Tooltip.js
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import useForkRef from '../utils/useForkRef';
 import useId from '../utils/useId';
 import useControlled from '../utils/useControlled';
 import tooltipClasses, { getTooltipUtilityClass } from './tooltipClasses';
+import getChildRef from '../utils/getChildRef';
 
 function round(value) {
   return Math.round(value * 1e5) / 1e5;
@@ -545,7 +546,7 @@ const Tooltip = React.forwardRef(function Tooltip(inProps, ref) {
     };
   }, [handleClose, open]);
 
-  const handleRef = useForkRef(children.ref, setChildNode, ref);
+  const handleRef = useForkRef(getChildRef(children), setChildNode, ref);
 
   // There is no point in displaying an empty tooltip.
   // So we exclude all falsy values, except 0, which is valid.
diff --git a/packages/mui-material/src/Zoom/Zoom.js b/packages/mui-material/src/Zoom/Zoom.js
index b93d79aab2a7df..7c90324999b1e5 100644
--- a/packages/mui-material/src/Zoom/Zoom.js
+++ b/packages/mui-material/src/Zoom/Zoom.js
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import elementAcceptingRef from '@mui/utils/elementAcceptingRef';
 import { useTheme } from '../zero-styled';
 import { reflow, getTransitionProps } from '../transitions/utils';
 import useForkRef from '../utils/useForkRef';
+import getChildRef from '../utils/getChildRef';
 
 const styles = {
   entering: {
@@ -48,7 +49,7 @@ const Zoom = React.forwardRef(function Zoom(props, ref) {
   } = props;
 
   const nodeRef = React.useRef(null);
-  const handleRef = useForkRef(nodeRef, children.ref, ref);
+  const handleRef = useForkRef(nodeRef, getChildRef(children), ref);
 
   const normalizedTransitionCallback = (callback) => (maybeIsAppearing) => {
     if (callback) {
diff --git a/packages/mui-material/src/utils/getChildRef.d.ts b/packages/mui-material/src/utils/getChildRef.d.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..c7e9c058d3e031
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/mui-material/src/utils/getChildRef.d.ts
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+export default function getChildRef(child: React.ReactElement): React.Ref<any> | null;
diff --git a/packages/mui-material/src/utils/getChildRef.js b/packages/mui-material/src/utils/getChildRef.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..a1d0c2aec5af0c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/mui-material/src/utils/getChildRef.js
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+import * as React from 'react';
+
+export default function getChildRef(child) {
+  if (!child || !React.isValidElement(child)) {
+    return null;
+  }
+  // 'ref' is passed as prop in React 19, whereas 'ref' is directly attached to children in React 18
+  // below check is to ensure 'ref' is accessible in both cases
+  return child.props.propertyIsEnumerable('ref') ? child.props.ref : child.ref;
+}