Ali Travis Goltz, 36, was sentenced in Brisbane Supreme Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to manslaughter.
Goltz had been looking after the infant and two older children on March 15, 2017 when he put the 11-month-old in the bathtub and left the room.
"You placed the deceased in the bathtub in a sitting position with the tap still running and placed a Powerade pop-up lid in the plug area," Justice Tom Sullivan said to Goltz during the sentencing.
When Goltz returned he found the infant lying on her side, unconscious and not breathing, with her face in the water.
Goltz wrapped the child in a towel and went to a neighbour's house for help.
The neighbour called emergency services and performed CPR on the girl.
The infant was taken to Brisbane Children's Hospital where she was placed on life support but died five days later due to a lack of oxygen to the brain.
Goltz was arrested on June 2, 2021.
The infant's mother, who wasn't home when the girl drowned, said her family had been permanently damaged.
She attended court on Wednesday, with supporters, for the sentencing.
"Ever since we lost our baby we will never feel the same again," she said in a victim impact statement read to the court.
The mother said she had suffered anxiety, depression and other mental health issues since her daughter's death.
"I feel isolated and stuck in my mind," she said.
"Anything can trigger the trauma that we went through and I can't escape the pain."
Justice Sullivan said the vulnerability and defencelessness of the infant "lies at the heart" of the incident.
"That what has occurred cannot be reversed is a tragedy, not only for you but for the mother of (the infant)," he said.
Justice Sullivan noted Goltz had mental health issues, including "a major psychotic illness", which he said had been exacerbated by the infant's death.
Goltz was sentenced to five years' imprisonment.
With 594 days in time served, he will be eligible for parole in two weeks.
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