diff --git a/src/core/thread/indirect_sender.cpp b/src/core/thread/indirect_sender.cpp
index b5c1d6550..bea98179a 100644
--- a/src/core/thread/indirect_sender.cpp
+++ b/src/core/thread/indirect_sender.cpp
@@ -338,6 +338,7 @@ Error IndirectSender::PrepareFrameForChild(Mac::TxFrame &aFrame, FrameContext &a
     if (message == nullptr)
     {
         PrepareEmptyFrame(aFrame, aChild, /* aAckRequest */ true);
+        aContext.mMessageNextOffset = 0;
         ExitNow();
     }
 
@@ -422,10 +423,28 @@ void IndirectSender::HandleSentFrameToChild(const Mac::TxFrame &aFrame,
 
     VerifyOrExit(mEnabled);
 
+    if (aError == kErrorNone)
+    {
+        Get<Utils::ChildSupervisor>().UpdateOnSend(aChild);
+    }
+
+    // A zero `nextOffset` indicates that the sent frame is an empty
+    // frame generated by `PrepareFrameForChild()` when there was no
+    // indirect message in the send queue for the child. This can happen
+    // in the (not common) case where the radio platform does not
+    // support the "source address match" feature and always includes
+    // "frame pending" flag in acks to data poll frames. In such a case,
+    // `IndirectSender` prepares and sends an empty frame to the child
+    // after it sends a data poll. Here in `HandleSentFrameToChild()` we
+    // exit quickly if we detect the "send done" is for the empty frame
+    // to ensure we do not update any newly added indirect message after
+    // preparing the empty frame.
+
+    VerifyOrExit(nextOffset != 0);
+
     switch (aError)
     {
     case kErrorNone:
-        Get<Utils::ChildSupervisor>().UpdateOnSend(aChild);
         break;
 
     case kErrorNoAck: