diff --git a/core/src/main/java/io/grpc/internal/PickFirstLeafLoadBalancer.java b/core/src/main/java/io/grpc/internal/PickFirstLeafLoadBalancer.java
index ebe329ca591..f73013c07a3 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/io/grpc/internal/PickFirstLeafLoadBalancer.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/io/grpc/internal/PickFirstLeafLoadBalancer.java
@@ -449,6 +449,7 @@ private void shutdownRemaining(SubchannelData activeSubchannelData) {
    */
   @Override
   public void requestConnection() {
+    boolean wasIdle = rawConnectivityState == IDLE;
     if (!addressIndex.isValid() || rawConnectivityState == SHUTDOWN) {
       return;
     }
@@ -464,6 +465,10 @@ public void requestConnection() {
       case IDLE:
         subchannelData.subchannel.requestConnection();
         subchannelData.updateState(CONNECTING);
+        if (wasIdle) {
+          rawConnectivityState = CONNECTING;
+          updateBalancingState(CONNECTING, new Picker(PickResult.withNoResult()));
+        }
         scheduleNextConnection();
         break;
       case CONNECTING:
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/io/grpc/internal/PickFirstLeafLoadBalancerTest.java b/core/src/test/java/io/grpc/internal/PickFirstLeafLoadBalancerTest.java
index 0e902bfdd56..e50e8a24915 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/io/grpc/internal/PickFirstLeafLoadBalancerTest.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/io/grpc/internal/PickFirstLeafLoadBalancerTest.java
@@ -2461,7 +2461,7 @@ public void happy_eyeballs_pick_pushes_index_over_end() {
     PickResult pickResult = requestingPicker.pickSubchannel(mockArgs);
     assertEquals("RequestConnectionPicker", requestingPicker.getClass().getSimpleName());
     assertEquals(PickResult.withNoResult(), pickResult);
-    assertEquals(IDLE, loadBalancer.getConcludedConnectivityState());
+    assertEquals(CONNECTING, loadBalancer.getConcludedConnectivityState());
 
     // Second pick moves index to addr 3
     pickResult = requestingPicker.pickSubchannel(mockArgs);
@@ -2496,7 +2496,7 @@ public void happy_eyeballs_pick_pushes_index_over_end() {
       pickResult = requestingPicker2.pickSubchannel(mockArgs);
       assertEquals(PickResult.withNoResult(), pickResult);
     }
-    assertEquals(IDLE, loadBalancer.getConcludedConnectivityState());
+    assertEquals(CONNECTING, loadBalancer.getConcludedConnectivityState());
 
     listeners[0].onSubchannelState(ConnectivityStateInfo.forTransientFailure(error));
     inOrder.verify(mockSubchannel2n2).start(stateListenerCaptor.capture());