Originally Posted by mommyneedsadayoff:
I always stood by my policy, which said very clearly, I will not withhold food from a hungry child. If they can trust me to care for their baby all day and not kill it, they should trust me to understand their nutritional needs and the signs of hunger. In my experience, a 10 month old would be taking 6-8 ounce bottles for each meal, with food as a supplement after. I never did purees, just soft foods for them to eat. Formula was still the main nutrition at that age, so 2 ounces is kind of insulting for this big boy. And I know the difference in babies who I knew were just wanting to eat for comfort versus nutrition, but if they are moving and walking and burning those calories, they need fuel. He is a growing boy and needs more than 2 oz and a few spoonfuls of baby food.
I would not let a parent bring their kid to me for 8+ hours a day and dictate the feeding schedule. I am willing to be flexible, but restricting food is not an area I was willing to mess with. And I know many parents do this because they want to give the baby a big heavy feeding at night and since they haven't slept much through the day because of hunger, they will get a full belly and sleep much longer at night. The irony is that they are just looking to get a fussy baby to bed easily so they don't have to deal with them. If they fed regularly and instilled good nap schedules, they would get to enjoy a happy baby in the evening and could still maintain a healthy night sleep routine. It is something you should put your foot down on. And maybe even word it in harsh terms. As CH said, I am a mandated reporter and I refuse to withhold food from a hungry child. Make them realize the seriousness of what they are asking you to do. 
I think you are right, you need to defend your opinion and rights, because sometimes parents can to walk all over you if you don't stop them in time