The 37-year-old defendant, from Essex, and his family were reportedly a few days into their holiday at the southwestern resort of Paphos in July when the boy fell from the hotel’s fourth-floor.
The father admitted a charge of causing death through a reckless, rash or dangerous act at a court in Paphos on Tuesday, where he was accompanied by his parents.
The circumstances of the fall remain unclear – and the boy’s age has been reported as both two and three years old.
The defendant has not been named by the court.
The man’s lawyer, Alexandros Alexandrou, said his client decided to plead guilty late on Monday, largely to avoid a lengthy trial.
He said it was also to spare his family from reliving the circumstances of the boy’s death through detailed evidence presented in court.
A long trial would mean the man is “again a victim of this tragedy,” Mr Alexandrou said after the hearing.
He added: “The most important thing for him is to return to his family.”
The charge carries a maximum of four years’ imprisonment and a minimum of a fine.
A judge can suspend a sentence if a defendant is sentenced to three years’ imprisonment or less.
Mr Alexandrou said the court should take into account previous similar cases in which defendants received a fine or a suspended sentence.
He also said he would ask the court to lift travel restrictions against his client so that he can return to his wife and five-year-old daughter in the UK, until his sentencing.
More from Sky News:
US can’t give same Saudi support as UK
Martha’s Rule to be extended to A&E
The defendant previously appeared in court in Paphos on 31 July and was allowed to leave to return to the UK for his son’s funeral in August, on condition that he flew back to Cyprus last week in order for the plea hearing to take place.
Last Thursday, Mr Alexandrou said his client was disappointed the attorney general denied a request to dismiss the case on humanitarian grounds.
He said he would appeal any sentence that gives his client the maximum penalty. The lawyer refused to give any details about his client’s identity, saying even authorities have avoided mentioning the man’s name in court.
Although the attorney general understands the defendant’s grief, the case must proceed as a matter of public interest, state prosecutors previously told the court.
At another hearing at Paphos District Court on 5 October, the prosecutor will set out the facts of the case and the defence will present mitigation, a court official confirmed.
