[javascript] How to select a single child element using jQuery?

No. Every jQuery function returns a jQuery object, and that is how it works. This is a crucial part of jQuery's magic.

If you want to access the underlying element, you have three options...

  1. Do not use jQuery
  2. Use [0] to reference it
  3. Extend jQuery to do what you want...

    $.fn.child = function(s) {
        return $(this).children(s)[0];
    }