Shifters for Small Hands - Microshift vs Altus 8sp?

[Morat]

I have a "Nice to have" problem...
My son has just been given a Formuela Forme 26" Cross Bike that was on its way to a skip.
Amazingly he'll be able to ride it properly in a few months but the only thing causing concern during his brief test ride was the Shimano Altus 8psd STI.
It's adult sized, and there's no way he can use it effectively.

I've had a look around and one option seems to Microshift levers.
Before I splash out on https://tinyurl.com/y9t6oe38 (ebay link) is this the best option?

[DuncanM]

You can get wedges that sit inside the hood and push the lever towards the bars.
My daughters 24" Islabike has about 3 of them, and it means she can just about reach the brakes/shifters (she often uses the crosstop brake levers instead).  These looks similar: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Shimano-Ultegra-ST-6700-105-ST-5700-5mm-Shifter-Lever-Adjusting-Block-R-L-/333425720797?var=
Might be worth a punt if you can find one aimed at your Altus levers before splashing out on new parts.

[Morat]

Thanks Duncan I can't seem to find any shims but at least I didn't buy those shifters - it turns out they're not the low reach version.
The hunt continues...

[Torslanda]

A trick for you to try.

Fit the brake levers inboard or the shifters (ie reverse the normal position, like you would when Gripshift is fitted). He should be able to operate the shifters in the normal way and, if you position them correctly, still reach the brake levers.

If that's a non-starter then look for Microshift trigger pods which are thumb operated for both up & downshift. If you have any difficulty finding them, contact me & I'll see if I can point you in the right direction.

[Morat]

Thank you Mr Torslanda - I shall investigate