A 10-month-old baby suffered second-degree burns to about 40 per cent of his body after a Sydney man left him alone in a bath with the hot water running while he went to smoke a cigarette.
Atare Tepania then pushed a bottle with such force into the boy's mouth it bled, and struck him at least once, according to court documents.
The 24-year-old on Tuesday pleaded guilty in Penrith Local Court to reckless grievous bodily harm and assault occasioning actual bodily harm in November 2015.
According to the agreed facts, Tepania left the baby in an unplugged bath with the hot water running while he left the room to smoke a cigarette and check his mobile phone.
The boy's skin was peeling by the time he returned. Tepania then grabbed him by one arm only and dropped him on the tiled floor.
He placed the screaming baby on a bed and poured cold water on him before trying to feed him a bottle of formula.
"The accused repeatedly pushed the bottle with sufficient force to cause injuries to the inside of the victim's mouth," the court documents state.
"Upon doing so he saw blood coming from inside the victim's mouth."
When the baby kept screaming Tepania struck him at least once causing injuries to his face and head.
The infant also suffered a fractured elbow and was hospitalised for 26 days.
Police later observed skin on the shower floor and bathroom door and blood stains on a bed, towel and carpet, the court papers reveal.
Tepania, who tested positive for methamphetamine, told officers he was "hungover ... really bad" and had "f***ed up".
"I don't know what I was thinking, I don't know ... not thinking straight today," he said.
A doctor said the boy's burns could have been fatal but he expected a good prognosis and no need for long-term follow-up.
Tepania is scheduled to face a sentence hearing on October 6.
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