diff --git a/js/buttons/ButtonNode.ts b/js/buttons/ButtonNode.ts
index e43efa37..90582f32 100644
--- a/js/buttons/ButtonNode.ts
+++ b/js/buttons/ButtonNode.ts
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ export default class ButtonNode extends Sizable( Voicing( Node ) ) {
   private readonly _pressListener: PressListener;
   private readonly disposeButtonNode: () => void;
   protected readonly content: Node | null;
+  public readonly contentContainer: Node | null = null; // (sun-only)
   protected readonly layoutSizeProperty: TinyProperty<Dimension2> = new TinyProperty<Dimension2>( new Dimension2( 0, 0 ) );
 
   // The maximum lineWidth our buttonBackground can have. We'll lay things out so that if we adjust our lineWidth below
@@ -205,14 +206,19 @@ export default class ButtonNode extends Sizable( Voicing( Node ) ) {
     let updateAlignBounds: UnknownMultilink | null = null;
 
     if ( options.content ) {
-      const content = options.content;
-
-      // For performance, in case content is a complicated icon or shape.
-      // See https://github.com/phetsims/sun/issues/654#issuecomment-718944669
-      content.pickable = false;
+      // Container here that can get scaled/positioned/pickable-modified, without affecting the provided content.
+      this.contentContainer = new Node( {
+        children: [
+          options.content
+        ],
+
+        // For performance, in case content is a complicated icon or shape.
+        // See https://github.com/phetsims/sun/issues/654#issuecomment-718944669
+        pickable: false
+      } );
 
       // Align content in the button rectangle. Must be disposed since it adds listener to content bounds.
-      alignBox = new AlignBox( content, {
+      alignBox = new AlignBox( this.contentContainer, {
         xAlign: options.xAlign,
         yAlign: options.yAlign,
 
diff --git a/js/buttons/RectangularButton.ts b/js/buttons/RectangularButton.ts
index c164aad3..d60c3968 100644
--- a/js/buttons/RectangularButton.ts
+++ b/js/buttons/RectangularButton.ts
@@ -147,19 +147,6 @@ export default class RectangularButton extends ButtonNode {
 
     super( buttonModel, buttonBackground, interactionStateProperty, options );
 
-    // TODO: get this to work dynamically? Or do we always want things scaled down?
-    if ( options.size && options.content ) {
-      const previousContent = options.content;
-      const minScale = Math.min(
-        ( options.size.width - options.xMargin * 2 ) / previousContent.width,
-        ( options.size.height - options.yMargin * 2 ) / previousContent.height );
-
-      options.content = new Node( {
-        children: [ previousContent ],
-        scale: minScale
-      } );
-    }
-
     this.buttonNodeConstraint = new RectangularButtonNodeConstraint( this, this.layoutSizeProperty, {
       content: options.content ?? null,
       size: options.size,
@@ -498,14 +485,19 @@ class RectangularButtonNodeConstraint extends LayoutConstraint {
     const contentWidthSizable = !!content && isWidthSizable( content );
     const contentHeightSizable = !!content && isHeightSizable( content );
 
-    let contentMinimumWidthWithMargins = Math.max( this.minWidth, content ? ( contentWidthSizable ? content.minimumWidth ?? 0 : content.width ) + this.xMargin * 2 : 0 );
-    let contentMinimumHeightWithMargins = Math.max( this.minHeight, content ? ( contentHeightSizable ? content.minimumHeight ?? 0 : content.height ) + this.yMargin * 2 : 0 );
+    let contentMinimumWidthWithMargins = content ? ( contentWidthSizable ? content.minimumWidth ?? 0 : content.width ) + this.xMargin * 2 : 0;
+    let contentMinimumHeightWithMargins = content ? ( contentHeightSizable ? content.minimumHeight ?? 0 : content.height ) + this.yMargin * 2 : 0;
 
+    // If a initial (minimum) size is specified, use this as an override (and we will scale the content down to fit)
     if ( this.size ) {
-      contentMinimumWidthWithMargins = Math.max( contentMinimumWidthWithMargins, this.size.width );
-      contentMinimumHeightWithMargins = Math.max( contentMinimumHeightWithMargins, this.size.height );
+      contentMinimumWidthWithMargins = this.size.width;
+      contentMinimumHeightWithMargins = this.size.height;
     }
 
+    // Apply minWidth/minHeight
+    contentMinimumWidthWithMargins = Math.max( this.minWidth, contentMinimumWidthWithMargins );
+    contentMinimumHeightWithMargins = Math.max( this.minHeight, contentMinimumHeightWithMargins );
+
     // Only allow an initial update if we are not sizable in that dimension
     let minimumWidth =
       ( this.isFirstLayout || widthSizable )
@@ -550,6 +542,27 @@ class RectangularButtonNodeConstraint extends LayoutConstraint {
         .shiftedXY( this.mouseAreaXShift, this.mouseAreaYShift );
     }
 
+    const preferredContentWidth = this.lastLocalWidth - this.xMargin * 2;
+    const preferredContentHeight = this.lastLocalHeight - this.yMargin * 2;
+
+    assert && assert( preferredContentWidth > 0 );
+    assert && assert( preferredContentHeight > 0 );
+
+    if ( this.content ) {
+      if ( contentWidthSizable ) {
+        content.preferredWidth = Math.max( preferredContentWidth, content.minimumWidth ?? 0 );
+      }
+      if ( contentHeightSizable ) {
+        content.preferredHeight = Math.max( preferredContentHeight, content.minimumHeight ?? 0 );
+      }
+
+      const contentContainer = this.buttonNode.contentContainer!;
+      assert && assert( contentContainer );
+
+      contentContainer.maxWidth = preferredContentWidth;
+      contentContainer.maxHeight = preferredContentHeight;
+    }
+
     this.isFirstLayout = false;
 
     this.layoutSizeProperty.value = new Dimension2( this.lastLocalWidth, this.lastLocalHeight );