Middle of the night hunger

[Novus]

DS is 17 months old and usually nurses 1-2 times over the course of the night, but recently, he's been waking up 3-4 times, asking to eat (food, not breastmilk.) Even right after he nurses, he's been asking to eat for the past couple of nights.

I think it's a combination of a growth spurt (he's been eating constantly during the day, too) and my supply dropping below what he wants. So my question is this: if he's hungry in the middle of the night, should I feed him (food)? I've offered almond milk (he has issues with cow's milk), but he refuses it and asks to eat.

I've been told offering food in the middle of the night will create a bad habit nutritionally, but I hate the feeling of trying to sleep when I'm hungry & I don't want him feeling that way. WWYD?

[foolishpony]

DD is 3 and is definitely a grazer when it comes to eating. So often she'll not eat much at dinner. She will sometimes wake up at night saying she's hungry -- the first few times she did this I tried to get her to go back to sleep without getting her anything to eat, just offering water. Disaster! When I finally realized I needed to listen her, she was truly hungry, it worked so much better. I guess I might be pretty laid back about the food issue. If she's hungry, she's hungry -- she'll eat a little and then go right back to sleep. Good luck!

[MamitaM]

Right before bed can you offer him a snack that may keep him full until morning? I also hate trying to sleep while hungry.