Crossbow for a 8 year old kid

Hello everyone, long time no see.

I'd like to make a kid crossbow for my son who's 8 yo. It's probably not gonna be much more than a toy (or maybe a bit more). Of course, I know all about safety dont't you worry.

I was just wondering about th draw weight... what do you think should be good for a medieval type kid crossbow ? My bet would be around 50-60 lbs or so.

For me 50-60 lbs is already a lot for 8 yo kid (not sure he could put string to the nut)... that's almost like a 40-45 lbs longbow (That's what I use generally and I won't give such a bow to a kid).
Just my point of view...

Thank you for the feedback, I'll probably go in the 20-25 lbs then... I'll compensate with a good draw length for higher fps.

Who's going to be spanning it? I built a lovely little crossbow one weekend with a push- pin release and yew prod that needed replacing immediately for a much weaker hazel bow as my boy wasn't able to draw it. Nothing lost as the experience with the yew meant I made a sweet hazel prod with almost the same performance as the yew. I'd strongly recommend building a knock-about test crossbow to establish size and draw weight before going all-out.

You can see the free plans on my blog here https://stuckinthemudsite.wordpress.com/resources/ and the post for March 2014 for instructions.

I made a crossbow for a ten-year-old that started out too strong (drew more than his body weight, oops). I took the prod back off and steamed in some deflex, which reduced the weight and also the likelihood of it breaking. Seemed an effective fix, easier than carving a new prod.

OrienM, I guess we would call that experience.Good job my friend.

It was fun, and he still plays with it, too... Sorry to say, but it was hilarious watching him try to span it initially; his feet came off the ground before the string got to the notch, lol...

This is the bow, prior to the re-work...it ended up with a cordage bridle after the prod was altered, and I backed the prod with denim fabric. Current draw weight is maybe 35 lbs, not a fast shooter due to the deflex, but very safe.

I'll add, expect kid bows to be treated roughly, and build accordingly...this bow stays strung all the time, has been left out in the rain, and suffered various scratches and dents.

My little buddy shoots pebbles with it as often as bolts; it worried me at first, but it seems to work reliably. He clamps the pebble under the bolt clip...actually shoots fairly accurately, too.

Hahahaaa  Great story OrienM. Thanks for the feedback !