A THREE-year-old who ate an LSD-laced sugar cube from her mother's kitchen thought she was "on fire" and would die.

The girl, from Coombabah on the Gold Coast, was rushed to hospital suffering hallucinations, anxiety and convulsions in November, 2011.

She initially told her mother she was feeling "big and small" but later at the hospital police overheard the girl begging for help to stop the burning sensation and save her from dying.

Court documents revealed the child was heard saying "Mummy, I'm hot. I'm on fire. Help me, mummy" and "I'm going to die".

The girl was sedated and later made a full recovery.

A police search of the house revealed clip-seal plastic bags with crystal residue inside.

Yesterday, the child's 25-year-old mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty in the Southport District Court to child cruelty.

She was sentenced to a nine-month intensive corrections order, effectively a jail sentence served in the community.

Crown prosecutor Nick McGhee said leaving drugs where children could find them was a criminally negligent act.

Barrister Stephan McMurray said the mother had been tortured by guilt since the incident and was now only allowed hour-long access visits to her child every fortnight.