Is a standard bass guitar too much for an eight year old to handle?

If you know a gifted kid of 8yrs old who wants to play the bass guitar or the piano but has no place for a piano so you’d get him a bass (as in guitar) but is told that a reg. standard bass is too much base for an eight year old what would you think? I have no ideal how long or heavy a bass (as in guitar) is. Would it be as tall as he? Weight like ⅓ his weight? His hands will be too small for the neck? I have never seen a “baby bass” (as in guitar) or one of petite size and if they did would it have the full bass guitar sound deep and rich?