A woman who punched her Indonesian maid on the arms and kicked her on the thigh was sentenced to one week's jail on Wednesday.

Mahima Chhatwal, 34, a Singapore permanent resident, admitted to causing hurt to Ms Endang Purwanti, 27, at her home in Orchid Park condominium in Yishun Street 81 on June 4, 2012.

A second charge of using criminal force by pushing the maid's mouth with her finger two days later was considered during her sentencing.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Vikneswaran Kumaran said Chhatwal, who has a three-year-old son, had installed CCTV cameras in her living room to monitor the victim.

On June 4, 2012, Chhatwal, a human resource recruiter, was in her office when she saw that the maid was unsuccessful in feeding her toddler son his lunch and his evening snack, investigation showed.

She called her Indonesian helper and told her she should have put more effort into feeding the boy. The maid said in turn that if she forced him to eat, he would spit the food out.

After returning home from work, Chhatwal scolded her helper for not being able to feed the boy despite having worked in their home for a year.

She then punched the maid's upper arms. The victim lost her balance and grabbed the back of Chhatwal's left hand. Chhatwal then kicked her on the thigh.

The maid reported the assault six days later.

Chhatwal, who was fined $1,500 in 2008 for theft, could have been jailed for up to three years and/or fined up to $7,500. Yesterday she pleaded guilty to the assault and gave $5,000 in compensation to the maid on her own accord.

District Judge Christopher Goh allowed her to defer sentence until Jan 30.