Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Wiktionary
n. 1 A garment, made of strips of cloth, used to bind an infant and restrict movement of its limbs 2 (context idiomatic English) An early period in development, infancy, the beginnings of something; inception.
WordNet
n. a garment (a gown or narrow strips of cloth) for an infant [syn: swaddling bands]
restrictions placed on the immature
Usage examples of "swaddling clothes".
After that, he rolled her in his horse blanket every night when he went to sleep, and tied ropes around her top and bottom so she was bound up as tight as a babe in swaddling clothes.
I LOOK LIKE I DID WHEN I WAS THE BABY JESUS-YOU REMEMBER THOSE STUPID SWADDLING CLOTHES?
Nynaeve was not used to having to convince people, especially not people she had changed swaddling clothes for.
She squirmed like an infant trying to break free of swaddling clothes.
Immediately the new-born baby threw off his swaddling clothes and was endowed with manly vigour, which he proved without delay in doing battle with the serpent Python.