Jolly Tumuhirwe, 22, was charged in court with the torture of a girl of 18 months. A video of the assault caused outrage when it was posted online.
The child's father, Eric Kamanzi, had installed a camera in his home after noticing his daughter was bruised and limping.
Ms Tumuhirwe asked the court, the parents and Ugandans to forgive her.
The graphic footage, which is taken from a camera hidden in the corner of the living room, shows Ms Tumuhirwe hitting the child when she resists feeding and then throwing her to the floor, beating her with a torch before stepping on her and kicking her.
Ms Tumuhirwe, who was not represented by a lawyer in court, now faces up to 15 years in prison for the crime or a fine of about $400 (£260) or both.
One of Uganda's leading advocates offered to represent her but the magistrate denied his request saying he had not formally notified the court.
The BBC's Patience Atuhaire in the capital, Kampala, says the toddler's father broke down in court when the maid said she was sorry.
The magistrate granted the state attorney's request for an adjournment of two days so that she could gather more facts on the case.
After the public outrage that followed the video, police had issued a statement saying the charge of torture would be amended to attempted murder.
But the directorate of public prosecutions was quoted in local media on Monday as saying that investigations were still on-going and the charge remained torture under the Anti-Torture Act.
Our reporter says the courtroom was packed and people were running and craning their necks to have a good look at Ms Tumuhirwe as she was led away by prison officers after the session.
BBC News
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