diff --git a/map-area.html b/map-area.html
index 936a84b1d..493b56ca3 100644
--- a/map-area.html
+++ b/map-area.html
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@
 <script src="../proj4Leaflet/src/proj4leaflet.js"></script>
 <script src="../mapml-leaflet-plugin/mapml.min.js"></script>
 
-
 <dom-module id="map-area">
 <style  include="map-styles">
  :host {
@@ -100,8 +99,8 @@
             // based on the <svg:title> graphics child element.
             var title = L.SVG.create('title'),
                 titleText = document.createTextNode(this.alt);
-                title.appendChild(titleText);
-            this._feature._path.appendChild(title);
+                Polymer.dom(title).appendChild(titleText);
+                Polymer.dom(this._feature._path).appendChild(title);
           }
           if (this.href) {
               // conditionally act on click on an area link.  If no link it should be an
diff --git a/map-layer.html b/map-layer.html
index 114baa85f..cdd09775b 100644
--- a/map-layer.html
+++ b/map-layer.html
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@
 <script src="../proj4Leaflet/src/proj4leaflet.js"></script>
 <script src="../mapml-leaflet-plugin/mapml.min.js"></script>
 
-
 <dom-module id="layer-">
   <!-- in polymer 1.0.x, styles must be outside of the <template> element
        https://www.polymer-project.org/1.0/docs/migration.html#local-dom-template -->
@@ -169,20 +168,22 @@
         // zoom range, extent and projection are.  meta elements in content to
         // allow the author to provide this explicitly are one way, they will
         // be parsed from the second parameter here
-        this._layer = M.mapMLLayer(this.src ? new URI(this.src).resolve(new URI(this.baseURI)).toString(): null, this);
+        // IE 11 did not have a value for this.baseURI for some reason
+        var base = this.baseURI ? this.baseURI : document.baseURI;
+        this._layer = M.mapMLLayer(this.src ? new URI(this.src).resolve(new URI(base)).toString(): null, this);
         this._layer.on('extentload', this._onLayerExtentLoad, this);
     },
     _attachedToMap: function() {
         // set i to the index of this layer element in the set of layers
         var i = 0;
-        for (var nodes = this.parentNode.children;i < nodes.length;i++) {
-            if (this.parentNode.children[i] === this) {
+        for (var nodes = Polymer.dom(this).parentNode.children;i < nodes.length;i++) {
+            if (Polymer.dom(this).parentNode.children[i] === this) {
               break;
             }
         }
         L.setOptions(this._layer, {zIndex: i+1, opacity: window.getComputedStyle(this).opacity});
         // make sure the Leaflet layer has a reference to the map
-        this._layer._map = this.parentElement._map;
+        this._layer._map = Polymer.dom(this).parentNode._map;
         // notify the layer that it is attached to a map (layer._map)
         this._layer.fire('attached');
         
@@ -195,8 +196,8 @@
         this._layer.on('add remove', this._onLayerChange,  this);
         
         // if controls option is enabled, insert the layer into the overlays array
-        if (this.parentElement.controls && !this.hidden) {
-          this._layerControl = this.parentElement._layerControl;
+        if (Polymer.dom(this).parentNode.controls && !this.hidden) {
+          this._layerControl = Polymer.dom(this).parentNode._layerControl;
           this._layerControl.addOverlay(this._layer, this.label);
         }
         // toggle the this.disabled attribute depending on whether the layer
@@ -210,12 +211,12 @@
         this._layer._map.fire('moveend');
     },
     attached: function() {
-        if (this.parentElement.nodeName !== 'MAP') {
+        if (Polymer.dom(this).parentNode.nodeName !== 'MAP') {
             console.log('ERROR: '+ this.localName + '#' + this.id + ' must be a child of a map element');
             return;
         }
         // if the map has been attached, set this layer up wrt Leaflet map
-        if (this.parentElement._map) {
+        if (Polymer.dom(this).parentNode._map) {
             this._attachedToMap();
         }
     }