diff --git a/i3-msg/main.c b/i3-msg/main.c
index c648f352..11a31972 100644
--- a/i3-msg/main.c
+++ b/i3-msg/main.c
@@ -119,11 +119,17 @@ static int reply_map_key_cb(void *params, const unsigned char *keyVal, unsigned
 }
 
 yajl_callbacks reply_callbacks = {
-    .yajl_boolean = reply_boolean_cb,
-    .yajl_string = reply_string_cb,
-    .yajl_start_map = reply_start_map_cb,
-    .yajl_map_key = reply_map_key_cb,
-    .yajl_end_map = reply_end_map_cb,
+    NULL,
+    &reply_boolean_cb,
+    NULL,
+    NULL,
+    NULL,
+    &reply_string_cb,
+    &reply_start_map_cb,
+    &reply_map_key_cb,
+    &reply_end_map_cb,
+    NULL,
+    NULL
 };
 
 int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
diff --git a/i3bar/src/child.c b/i3bar/src/child.c
index 1ec5981a..3621234c 100644
--- a/i3bar/src/child.c
+++ b/i3bar/src/child.c
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ ev_io    *stdin_io;
 ev_child *child_sig;
 
 /* JSON parser for stdin */
+yajl_callbacks callbacks;
 yajl_handle parser;
 
 /* JSON generator for stdout */
@@ -457,16 +458,15 @@ void start_child(char *command) {
         return;
 
     /* Allocate a yajl parser which will be used to parse stdin. */
-    yajl_callbacks callbacks = {
-        .yajl_boolean = stdin_boolean,
-        .yajl_integer = stdin_integer,
-        .yajl_string = stdin_string,
-        .yajl_start_map = stdin_start_map,
-        .yajl_map_key = stdin_map_key,
-        .yajl_end_map = stdin_end_map,
-        .yajl_start_array = stdin_start_array,
-        .yajl_end_array = stdin_end_array,
-    };
+    memset(&callbacks, '\0', sizeof(yajl_callbacks));
+    callbacks.yajl_map_key = stdin_map_key;
+    callbacks.yajl_boolean = stdin_boolean;
+    callbacks.yajl_string = stdin_string;
+    callbacks.yajl_integer = stdin_integer;
+    callbacks.yajl_start_array = stdin_start_array;
+    callbacks.yajl_end_array = stdin_end_array;
+    callbacks.yajl_start_map = stdin_start_map;
+    callbacks.yajl_end_map = stdin_end_map;
 #if YAJL_MAJOR < 2
     yajl_parser_config parse_conf = { 0, 0 };
 
diff --git a/i3bar/src/config.c b/i3bar/src/config.c
index 0e6ba3f1..dea47b9c 100644
--- a/i3bar/src/config.c
+++ b/i3bar/src/config.c
@@ -212,10 +212,17 @@ static int config_boolean_cb(void *params_, int val) {
 
 /* A datastructure to pass all these callbacks to yajl */
 static yajl_callbacks outputs_callbacks = {
-    .yajl_null = config_null_cb,
-    .yajl_boolean = config_boolean_cb,
-    .yajl_string = config_string_cb,
-    .yajl_map_key = config_map_key_cb,
+    &config_null_cb,
+    &config_boolean_cb,
+    NULL,
+    NULL,
+    NULL,
+    &config_string_cb,
+    NULL,
+    &config_map_key_cb,
+    NULL,
+    NULL,
+    NULL
 };
 
 /*
diff --git a/i3bar/src/mode.c b/i3bar/src/mode.c
index 861271af..7363971a 100644
--- a/i3bar/src/mode.c
+++ b/i3bar/src/mode.c
@@ -73,8 +73,17 @@ static int mode_map_key_cb(void *params_, const unsigned char *keyVal, unsigned
 
 /* A datastructure to pass all these callbacks to yajl */
 yajl_callbacks mode_callbacks = {
-    .yajl_string = mode_string_cb,
-    .yajl_map_key = mode_map_key_cb,
+    NULL,
+    NULL,
+    NULL,
+    NULL,
+    NULL,
+    &mode_string_cb,
+    NULL,
+    &mode_map_key_cb,
+    NULL,
+    NULL,
+    NULL
 };
 
 /*
diff --git a/i3bar/src/outputs.c b/i3bar/src/outputs.c
index 181effe5..db986702 100644
--- a/i3bar/src/outputs.c
+++ b/i3bar/src/outputs.c
@@ -249,13 +249,17 @@ static int outputs_map_key_cb(void *params_, const unsigned char *keyVal, unsign
 
 /* A datastructure to pass all these callbacks to yajl */
 yajl_callbacks outputs_callbacks = {
-    .yajl_null = outputs_null_cb,
-    .yajl_boolean = outputs_boolean_cb,
-    .yajl_integer = outputs_integer_cb,
-    .yajl_string = outputs_string_cb,
-    .yajl_start_map = outputs_start_map_cb,
-    .yajl_map_key = outputs_map_key_cb,
-    .yajl_end_map = outputs_end_map_cb,
+    &outputs_null_cb,
+    &outputs_boolean_cb,
+    &outputs_integer_cb,
+    NULL,
+    NULL,
+    &outputs_string_cb,
+    &outputs_start_map_cb,
+    &outputs_map_key_cb,
+    &outputs_end_map_cb,
+    NULL,
+    NULL
 };
 
 /*
diff --git a/i3bar/src/parse_json_header.c b/i3bar/src/parse_json_header.c
index 86afab3a..c09e0f49 100644
--- a/i3bar/src/parse_json_header.c
+++ b/i3bar/src/parse_json_header.c
@@ -93,6 +93,20 @@ static int header_map_key(void *ctx, const unsigned char *stringval, unsigned in
     return 1;
 }
 
+static yajl_callbacks version_callbacks = {
+    NULL, /* null */
+    &header_boolean, /* boolean */
+    &header_integer,
+    NULL, /* double */
+    NULL, /* number */
+    NULL, /* string */
+    NULL, /* start_map */
+    &header_map_key,
+    NULL, /* end_map */
+    NULL, /* start_array */
+    NULL /* end_array */
+};
+
 static void child_init(i3bar_child *child) {
     child->version = 0;
     child->stop_signal = SIGSTOP;
@@ -108,12 +122,6 @@ static void child_init(i3bar_child *child) {
  *
  */
 void parse_json_header(i3bar_child *child, const unsigned char *buffer, int length, unsigned int *consumed) {
-    static yajl_callbacks version_callbacks = {
-        .yajl_boolean = header_boolean,
-        .yajl_integer = header_integer,
-        .yajl_map_key = &header_map_key,
-    };
-
     child_init(child);
 
     current_key = NO_KEY;
diff --git a/i3bar/src/workspaces.c b/i3bar/src/workspaces.c
index 70063fb7..5e01b98d 100644
--- a/i3bar/src/workspaces.c
+++ b/i3bar/src/workspaces.c
@@ -199,11 +199,17 @@ static int workspaces_map_key_cb(void *params_, const unsigned char *keyVal, uns
 
 /* A datastructure to pass all these callbacks to yajl */
 yajl_callbacks workspaces_callbacks = {
-    .yajl_boolean = workspaces_boolean_cb,
-    .yajl_integer = workspaces_integer_cb,
-    .yajl_string = workspaces_string_cb,
-    .yajl_start_map = workspaces_start_map_cb,
-    .yajl_map_key = workspaces_map_key_cb,
+    NULL,
+    &workspaces_boolean_cb,
+    &workspaces_integer_cb,
+    NULL,
+    NULL,
+    &workspaces_string_cb,
+    &workspaces_start_map_cb,
+    &workspaces_map_key_cb,
+    NULL,
+    NULL,
+    NULL
 };
 
 /*
diff --git a/src/display_version.c b/src/display_version.c
index da667ffa..73bc54d1 100644
--- a/src/display_version.c
+++ b/src/display_version.c
@@ -42,8 +42,17 @@ static int version_map_key(void *ctx, const unsigned char *stringval, unsigned i
 }
 
 static yajl_callbacks version_callbacks = {
-    .yajl_string = version_string,
-    .yajl_map_key = version_map_key,
+    NULL, /* null */
+    NULL, /* boolean */
+    NULL, /* integer */
+    NULL, /* double */
+    NULL, /* number */
+    &version_string,
+    NULL, /* start_map */
+    &version_map_key,
+    NULL, /* end_map */
+    NULL, /* start_array */
+    NULL /* end_array */
 };
 
 /*
diff --git a/src/ipc.c b/src/ipc.c
index cf64c48c..ab12dcb0 100644
--- a/src/ipc.c
+++ b/src/ipc.c
@@ -815,6 +815,7 @@ static int add_subscription(void *extra, const unsigned char *s,
  */
 IPC_HANDLER(subscribe) {
     yajl_handle p;
+    yajl_callbacks callbacks;
     yajl_status stat;
     ipc_client *current, *client = NULL;
 
@@ -833,9 +834,8 @@ IPC_HANDLER(subscribe) {
     }
 
     /* Setup the JSON parser */
-    yajl_callbacks callbacks = {
-        .yajl_string = add_subscription,
-    };
+    memset(&callbacks, 0, sizeof(yajl_callbacks));
+    callbacks.yajl_string = add_subscription;
 
     p = yalloc(&callbacks, (void*)client);
     stat = yajl_parse(p, (const unsigned char*)message, message_size);
diff --git a/src/key_press.c b/src/key_press.c
index b8c8cd27..2f77a2a4 100644
--- a/src/key_press.c
+++ b/src/key_press.c
@@ -51,10 +51,17 @@ static int json_end_map(void *ctx) {
 }
 
 static yajl_callbacks command_error_callbacks = {
-    .yajl_boolean = json_boolean,
-    .yajl_start_map = json_start_map,
-    .yajl_map_key = json_map_key,
-    .yajl_end_map = json_end_map,
+    NULL,
+    &json_boolean,
+    NULL,
+    NULL,
+    NULL,
+    NULL,
+    &json_start_map,
+    &json_map_key,
+    &json_end_map,
+    NULL,
+    NULL
 };
 
 /*
diff --git a/src/load_layout.c b/src/load_layout.c
index de56cbcb..7457d512 100644
--- a/src/load_layout.c
+++ b/src/load_layout.c
@@ -406,16 +406,16 @@ void tree_append_json(const char *filename, char **errormsg) {
     LOG("read %d bytes\n", n);
     yajl_gen g;
     yajl_handle hand;
-    yajl_callbacks callbacks = {
-        .yajl_boolean = json_bool,
-        .yajl_integer = json_int,
-        .yajl_double = json_double,
-        .yajl_string = json_string,
-        .yajl_start_map = json_start_map,
-        .yajl_map_key = json_key,
-        .yajl_end_map = json_end_map,
-        .yajl_end_array = json_end_array,
-    };
+    yajl_callbacks callbacks;
+    memset(&callbacks, '\0', sizeof(yajl_callbacks));
+    callbacks.yajl_start_map = json_start_map;
+    callbacks.yajl_end_map = json_end_map;
+    callbacks.yajl_end_array = json_end_array;
+    callbacks.yajl_string = json_string;
+    callbacks.yajl_map_key = json_key;
+    callbacks.yajl_integer = json_int;
+    callbacks.yajl_double = json_double;
+    callbacks.yajl_boolean = json_bool;
 #if YAJL_MAJOR >= 2
     g = yajl_gen_alloc(NULL);
     hand = yajl_alloc(&callbacks, NULL, (void*)g);