diff --git a/include/wx/app.h b/include/wx/app.h
index acb7acea85..5d8b03c5bd 100644
--- a/include/wx/app.h
+++ b/include/wx/app.h
@@ -476,6 +476,10 @@ public:
     wxCmdLineArgsArray argv;
 
 protected:
+    // This function must be called at the end of wxApp ctor to indicate that
+    // wx part of the object is fully constructed.
+    void WXAppConstructed();
+
     // delete all objects in wxPendingDelete list
     //
     // called from ProcessPendingEvents()
@@ -531,6 +535,11 @@ protected:
     // flag modified by Suspend/ResumeProcessingOfPendingEvents()
     bool m_bDoPendingEventProcessing = true;
 
+private:
+    // flag set to true at the end of wxApp ctor, call WXAppConstructed() to
+    // set it
+    bool m_fullyConstructed = false;
+
     friend class WXDLLIMPEXP_FWD_BASE wxEvtHandler;
 
     // the application object is a singleton anyhow, there is no sense in
@@ -541,8 +550,11 @@ protected:
 #if defined(__UNIX__) && !defined(__WINDOWS__)
     #include "wx/unix/app.h"
 #else
-    // this has to be a class and not a typedef as we forward declare it
-    class wxAppConsole : public wxAppConsoleBase { };
+    class wxAppConsole : public wxAppConsoleBase
+    {
+    public:
+        wxAppConsole() { WXAppConstructed(); }
+    };
 #endif
 
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/src/common/appbase.cpp b/src/common/appbase.cpp
index 85c8a0cd94..d2bffd0bd7 100644
--- a/src/common/appbase.cpp
+++ b/src/common/appbase.cpp
@@ -138,10 +138,6 @@ wxAppConsoleBase::wxAppConsoleBase()
 
 #ifdef __WXDEBUG__
     SetTraceMasks();
-    // SetTraceMasks call can cause an apptraits to be
-    // created, but since we are still in the constructor the wrong kind will
-    // be created for GUI apps.  Destroy it so it can be created again later.
-    wxDELETE(m_traits);
 #endif
 
     wxEvtHandler::AddFilter(this);
@@ -162,8 +158,29 @@ wxAppConsoleBase::~wxAppConsoleBase()
 // initialization/cleanup
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+void wxAppConsoleBase::WXAppConstructed()
+{
+    // Note that we can (and will) be called multiple times for the GUI apps as
+    // wxAppConsole ctor has to call this function itself too in case it's
+    // actually a console app, so don't assert that it's currently false.
+    m_fullyConstructed = true;
+
+    // We're called at the end of wxApp ctor execution, i.e. before the
+    // user-defined wxApp-derived class was fully constructed, so its possibly
+    // overridden CreateTraits() couldn't have been called yet, which means
+    // that if we have already initialized our m_traits, we did it wrongly, and
+    // need to reset it.
+    if ( m_traits )
+    {
+        delete m_traits;
+        m_traits = nullptr;
+    }
+}
+
 bool wxAppConsoleBase::Initialize(int& WXUNUSED(argc), wxChar **WXUNUSED(argv))
 {
+    wxASSERT_MSG( m_fullyConstructed, "Forgot to call WXAppConstructed()?" );
+
 #if defined(__WINDOWS__)
     SetErrorMode(SEM_FAILCRITICALERRORS|SEM_NOOPENFILEERRORBOX);
 #endif
diff --git a/src/dfb/app.cpp b/src/dfb/app.cpp
index 41dc5f295f..2ed336ba9c 100644
--- a/src/dfb/app.cpp
+++ b/src/dfb/app.cpp
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ wxIMPLEMENT_DYNAMIC_CLASS(wxApp, wxEvtHandler);
 
 wxApp::wxApp()
 {
+    WXAppConstructed();
 }
 
 wxApp::~wxApp()
diff --git a/src/gtk/app.cpp b/src/gtk/app.cpp
index ea2d9c4a14..1d19fbce0e 100644
--- a/src/gtk/app.cpp
+++ b/src/gtk/app.cpp
@@ -308,6 +308,8 @@ wxApp::wxApp()
 {
     m_isInAssert = false;
     m_idleSourceId = 0;
+
+    WXAppConstructed();
 }
 
 wxApp::~wxApp()
diff --git a/src/msw/app.cpp b/src/msw/app.cpp
index 3816b9d7da..245af3e53c 100644
--- a/src/msw/app.cpp
+++ b/src/msw/app.cpp
@@ -817,6 +817,8 @@ if you believe not using the manifest should remain supported.
             );
         }
     }
+
+    WXAppConstructed();
 }
 
 wxApp::~wxApp()
diff --git a/src/osx/carbon/app.cpp b/src/osx/carbon/app.cpp
index 4bd645ea05..54a74b4f5d 100644
--- a/src/osx/carbon/app.cpp
+++ b/src/osx/carbon/app.cpp
@@ -379,6 +379,8 @@ wxApp::wxApp()
     m_macCurrentEvent = nullptr ;
     m_macCurrentEventHandlerCallRef = nullptr ;
     m_macPool = sm_isEmbedded ? nullptr : new wxMacAutoreleasePool();
+
+    WXAppConstructed();
 }
 
 wxApp::~wxApp()
diff --git a/src/qt/app.cpp b/src/qt/app.cpp
index 57552ca807..dcb7b9e7a9 100644
--- a/src/qt/app.cpp
+++ b/src/qt/app.cpp
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ wxIMPLEMENT_DYNAMIC_CLASS(wxApp, wxEvtHandler);
 wxApp::wxApp()
 {
     m_qtArgc = 0;
+
+    WXAppConstructed();
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/unix/appunix.cpp b/src/unix/appunix.cpp
index a9fb317c6a..982abfe630 100644
--- a/src/unix/appunix.cpp
+++ b/src/unix/appunix.cpp
@@ -74,6 +74,8 @@ private:
 wxAppConsole::wxAppConsole()
 {
     m_signalWakeUpPipe = nullptr;
+
+    WXAppConstructed();
 }
 
 wxAppConsole::~wxAppConsole()
diff --git a/src/x11/app.cpp b/src/x11/app.cpp
index 340361c4ec..4db2cdc53a 100644
--- a/src/x11/app.cpp
+++ b/src/x11/app.cpp
@@ -217,6 +217,8 @@ wxApp::wxApp()
 #if !wxUSE_NANOX
     m_visualInfo = nullptr;
 #endif
+
+    WXAppConstructed();
 }
 
 wxApp::~wxApp()