diff --git a/plugins/tracers/gststats.c b/plugins/tracers/gststats.c
index 5c96a6becc..1a3e86ff93 100644
--- a/plugins/tracers/gststats.c
+++ b/plugins/tracers/gststats.c
@@ -87,20 +87,25 @@ fill_element_stats (GstStatsTracer * self, GstElement * element)
 
   stats->index = self->num_elements++;
   stats->parent_ix = G_MAXUINT;
+  return stats;
+}
 
+static void
+log_new_element_stats (GstElementStats * stats, GstElement * element)
+{
   log_trace (gst_structure_new ("new-element",
           "ix", G_TYPE_UINT, stats->index,
+          "parent-ix", G_TYPE_UINT, stats->parent_ix,
           "name", G_TYPE_STRING, GST_OBJECT_NAME (element),
           "type", G_TYPE_STRING, G_OBJECT_TYPE_NAME (element),
           "is-bin", G_TYPE_BOOLEAN, GST_IS_BIN (element), NULL));
-
-  return stats;
 }
 
 static inline GstElementStats *
 get_element_stats (GstStatsTracer * self, GstElement * element)
 {
   GstElementStats *stats;
+  gboolean is_new = FALSE;
 
   if (!element) {
     no_elem_stats.index = G_MAXUINT;
@@ -114,6 +119,7 @@ get_element_stats (GstStatsTracer * self, GstElement * element)
     if (self->elements->len <= stats->index)
       g_ptr_array_set_size (self->elements, stats->index + 1);
     g_ptr_array_index (self->elements, stats->index) = stats;
+    is_new = TRUE;
   }
   G_UNLOCK (_stats);
   if (G_UNLIKELY (stats->parent_ix == G_MAXUINT)) {
@@ -123,6 +129,9 @@ get_element_stats (GstStatsTracer * self, GstElement * element)
       stats->parent_ix = parent_stats->index;
     }
   }
+  if (G_UNLIKELY (is_new)) {
+    log_new_element_stats (stats, element);
+  }
   return stats;
 }
 
@@ -132,27 +141,6 @@ free_element_stats (gpointer data)
   g_slice_free (GstElementStats, data);
 }
 
-static GstPadStats no_pad_stats = { 0, };
-
-static GstPadStats *
-fill_pad_stats (GstStatsTracer * self, GstPad * pad)
-{
-  GstPadStats *stats = g_slice_new0 (GstPadStats);
-
-  stats->index = self->num_pads++;
-  stats->parent_ix = G_MAXUINT;
-
-  log_trace (gst_structure_new ("new-pad",
-          "ix", G_TYPE_UINT, stats->index,
-          "name", G_TYPE_STRING, GST_OBJECT_NAME (pad),
-          "type", G_TYPE_STRING, G_OBJECT_TYPE_NAME (pad),
-          "is-ghostpad", G_TYPE_BOOLEAN, GST_IS_GHOST_PAD (pad),
-          "pad-direction", GST_TYPE_PAD_DIRECTION, GST_PAD_DIRECTION (pad),
-          "thread-id", G_TYPE_UINT, GPOINTER_TO_UINT (g_thread_self ()), NULL));
-
-  return stats;
-}
-
 /*
  * Get the element/bin owning the pad. 
  *
@@ -192,10 +180,37 @@ get_real_pad_parent (GstPad * pad)
   return GST_ELEMENT_CAST (parent);
 }
 
+static GstPadStats no_pad_stats = { 0, };
+
+static GstPadStats *
+fill_pad_stats (GstStatsTracer * self, GstPad * pad)
+{
+  GstPadStats *stats = g_slice_new0 (GstPadStats);
+
+  stats->index = self->num_pads++;
+  stats->parent_ix = G_MAXUINT;
+
+  return stats;
+}
+
+static void
+log_new_pad_stats (GstPadStats * stats, GstPad * pad)
+{
+  log_trace (gst_structure_new ("new-pad",
+          "ix", G_TYPE_UINT, stats->index,
+          "parent-ix", G_TYPE_UINT, stats->parent_ix,
+          "name", G_TYPE_STRING, GST_OBJECT_NAME (pad),
+          "type", G_TYPE_STRING, G_OBJECT_TYPE_NAME (pad),
+          "is-ghostpad", G_TYPE_BOOLEAN, GST_IS_GHOST_PAD (pad),
+          "pad-direction", GST_TYPE_PAD_DIRECTION, GST_PAD_DIRECTION (pad),
+          "thread-id", G_TYPE_UINT, GPOINTER_TO_UINT (g_thread_self ()), NULL));
+}
+
 static GstPadStats *
 get_pad_stats (GstStatsTracer * self, GstPad * pad)
 {
   GstPadStats *stats;
+  gboolean is_new = FALSE;
 
   if (!pad) {
     no_pad_stats.index = G_MAXUINT;
@@ -209,6 +224,7 @@ get_pad_stats (GstStatsTracer * self, GstPad * pad)
     if (self->pads->len <= stats->index)
       g_ptr_array_set_size (self->pads, stats->index + 1);
     g_ptr_array_index (self->pads, stats->index) = stats;
+    is_new = TRUE;
   }
   G_UNLOCK (_stats);
   if (G_UNLIKELY (stats->parent_ix == G_MAXUINT)) {
@@ -219,6 +235,9 @@ get_pad_stats (GstStatsTracer * self, GstPad * pad)
       stats->parent_ix = elem_stats->index;
     }
   }
+  if (G_UNLIKELY (is_new)) {
+    log_new_pad_stats (stats, pad);
+  }
   return stats;
 }
 
@@ -461,15 +480,17 @@ do_push_event_pre (GstStatsTracer * self, va_list var_args)
 {
   guint64 ts = va_arg (var_args, guint64);
   GstPad *pad = va_arg (var_args, GstPad *);
+  GstEvent *ev = va_arg (var_args, GstEvent *);
   GstElement *elem = get_real_pad_parent (pad);
-  GstPadStats *pad_stats = get_pad_stats (self, pad);
   GstElementStats *elem_stats = get_element_stats (self, elem);
+  GstPadStats *pad_stats = get_pad_stats (self, pad);
 
   elem_stats->last_ts = ts;
   log_trace (gst_structure_new ("event",
           "ts", G_TYPE_UINT64, ts,
           "pad-ix", G_TYPE_UINT, pad_stats->index,
-          "elem-ix", G_TYPE_UINT, elem_stats->index, NULL));
+          "elem-ix", G_TYPE_UINT, elem_stats->index,
+          "name", G_TYPE_STRING, GST_EVENT_TYPE_NAME (ev), NULL));
 }
 
 static void
@@ -486,11 +507,14 @@ do_post_message_pre (GstStatsTracer * self, va_list var_args)
 {
   guint64 ts = va_arg (var_args, guint64);
   GstElement *elem = va_arg (var_args, GstElement *);
+  GstMessage *msg = va_arg (var_args, GstMessage *);
   GstElementStats *stats = get_element_stats (self, elem);
 
   stats->last_ts = ts;
   log_trace (gst_structure_new ("message",
-          "ts", G_TYPE_UINT64, ts, "elem-ix", G_TYPE_UINT, stats->index, NULL));
+          "ts", G_TYPE_UINT64, ts,
+          "elem-ix", G_TYPE_UINT, stats->index,
+          "name", G_TYPE_STRING, GST_MESSAGE_TYPE_NAME (msg), NULL));
 }
 
 static void
@@ -507,11 +531,14 @@ do_query_pre (GstStatsTracer * self, va_list var_args)
 {
   guint64 ts = va_arg (var_args, guint64);
   GstElement *elem = va_arg (var_args, GstElement *);
+  GstQuery *qry = va_arg (var_args, GstQuery *);
   GstElementStats *stats = get_element_stats (self, elem);
 
   stats->last_ts = ts;
   log_trace (gst_structure_new ("query",
-          "ts", G_TYPE_UINT64, ts, "elem-ix", G_TYPE_UINT, stats->index, NULL));
+          "ts", G_TYPE_UINT64, ts,
+          "elem-ix", G_TYPE_UINT, stats->index,
+          "name", G_TYPE_STRING, GST_QUERY_TYPE_NAME (qry), NULL));
 }
 
 static void
diff --git a/tools/gst-stats.c b/tools/gst-stats.c
index 8c03eca62e..ba3c803ca7 100644
--- a/tools/gst-stats.c
+++ b/tools/gst-stats.c
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ static void
 new_pad_stats (GstStructure * s)
 {
   GstPadStats *stats;
-  guint ix;
+  guint ix, parent_ix;
   gchar *type, *name;
   gboolean is_ghost_pad;
   GstPadDirection dir;
@@ -125,6 +125,7 @@ new_pad_stats (GstStructure * s)
 
   gst_structure_get (s,
       "ix", G_TYPE_UINT, &ix,
+      "parent-ix", G_TYPE_UINT, &parent_ix,
       "name", G_TYPE_STRING, &name,
       "type", G_TYPE_STRING, &type,
       "is-ghostpad", G_TYPE_BOOLEAN, &is_ghost_pad,
@@ -143,6 +144,7 @@ new_pad_stats (GstStructure * s)
   stats->min_size = G_MAXUINT;
   stats->first_ts = stats->last_ts = stats->next_ts = GST_CLOCK_TIME_NONE;
   stats->thread_id = thread_id;
+  stats->parent_ix = parent_ix;
 
   if (pads->len <= ix)
     g_ptr_array_set_size (pads, ix + 1);
@@ -162,12 +164,13 @@ static void
 new_element_stats (GstStructure * s)
 {
   GstElementStats *stats;
-  guint ix;
+  guint ix, parent_ix;
   gchar *type, *name;
   gboolean is_bin;
 
   gst_structure_get (s,
       "ix", G_TYPE_UINT, &ix,
+      "parent-ix", G_TYPE_UINT, &parent_ix,
       "name", G_TYPE_STRING, &name,
       "type", G_TYPE_STRING, &type, "is-bin", G_TYPE_BOOLEAN, &is_bin, NULL);
 
@@ -180,7 +183,7 @@ new_element_stats (GstStructure * s)
   stats->type_name = type;
   stats->is_bin = is_bin;
   stats->first_ts = GST_CLOCK_TIME_NONE;
-  stats->parent_ix = G_MAXUINT;
+  stats->parent_ix = parent_ix;
 
   if (elements->len <= ix)
     g_ptr_array_set_size (elements, ix + 1);
@@ -321,7 +324,8 @@ do_event_stats (GstStructure * s)
     return;
   }
   if (!(elem_stats = get_element_stats (elem_ix))) {
-    GST_WARNING ("no element stats found for ix=%u", elem_ix);
+    // e.g. reconfigure events are send over unparented pads
+    GST_INFO ("no element stats found for ix=%u", elem_ix);
     return;
   }
   elem_stats->num_events++;