diff --git a/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/core/base/ParserBase.java b/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/core/base/ParserBase.java
index 5d5233d109..b987d84623 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/core/base/ParserBase.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/core/base/ParserBase.java
@@ -41,11 +41,9 @@ public abstract class ParserBase extends ParserMinimalBase
      */
     protected final IOContext _ioContext;
 
-    /**
-     * @since 2.15
-     */
-    protected final StreamReadConstraints _streamReadConstraints;
-
+    // Demoted to ParserMinimalBase in 2.18
+    //protected final StreamReadConstraints _streamReadConstraints;
+    
     /**
      * Flag that indicates whether parser is closed or not. Gets
      * set when parser is either closed by explicit call
@@ -267,11 +265,8 @@ public abstract class ParserBase extends ParserMinimalBase
      */
 
     protected ParserBase(IOContext ctxt, int features) {
-        super(features);
+        super(features, ctxt.streamReadConstraints());
         _ioContext = ctxt;
-        final StreamReadConstraints streamReadConstraints = ctxt.streamReadConstraints();
-        _streamReadConstraints = streamReadConstraints == null ?
-                StreamReadConstraints.defaults() : streamReadConstraints;
         _textBuffer = ctxt.constructReadConstrainedTextBuffer();
         DupDetector dups = Feature.STRICT_DUPLICATE_DETECTION.enabledIn(features)
                 ? DupDetector.rootDetector(this) : null;
@@ -873,11 +868,6 @@ public BigDecimal getDecimalValue() throws IOException
         return _getBigDecimal();
     }
 
-    @Override // @since 2.15
-    public StreamReadConstraints streamReadConstraints() {
-        return _streamReadConstraints;
-    }
-
     /*
     /**********************************************************
     /* Conversion from textual to numeric representation
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/core/base/ParserMinimalBase.java b/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/core/base/ParserMinimalBase.java
index 2af049f6ab..b03eaa7787 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/core/base/ParserMinimalBase.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/core/base/ParserMinimalBase.java
@@ -134,6 +134,17 @@ public abstract class ParserMinimalBase extends JsonParser
     @Deprecated
     protected final static int MAX_ERROR_TOKEN_LENGTH = 256;
 
+    /*
+    /**********************************************************
+    /* Minimal configuration
+    /**********************************************************
+     */
+
+    /**
+     * @since 2.18 (was higher up in {@code ParserBase} before)
+     */
+    protected final StreamReadConstraints _streamReadConstraints;
+
     /*
     /**********************************************************
     /* Minimal generally useful state
@@ -159,8 +170,21 @@ public abstract class ParserMinimalBase extends JsonParser
     /**********************************************************
      */
 
-    protected ParserMinimalBase() { super(); }
-    protected ParserMinimalBase(int features) { super(features); }
+    @Deprecated // since 2.18
+    protected ParserMinimalBase() {
+        super();
+        _streamReadConstraints = StreamReadConstraints.defaults();
+    }
+
+    @Deprecated // since 2.18
+    protected ParserMinimalBase(int features) {
+        this(features, null);
+    }
+
+    protected ParserMinimalBase(int features, StreamReadConstraints src) {
+        super(features);
+        _streamReadConstraints = (src == null) ? StreamReadConstraints.defaults() : src;
+    }
 
     // NOTE: had base impl in 2.3 and before; but shouldn't
     // public abstract Version version();
@@ -178,6 +202,11 @@ public abstract class ParserMinimalBase extends JsonParser
     //public void setFeature(Feature f, boolean state)
     //public boolean isFeatureEnabled(Feature f)
 
+    @Override // @since 2.18 (demoted from ParserBase)
+    public StreamReadConstraints streamReadConstraints() {
+        return _streamReadConstraints;
+    }
+
     /*
     /**********************************************************
     /* JsonParser impl