Q. 1. In Luke 2:7, it refers to "swaddling clothes." What does that mean?

A. 1. According to wikipedia, "Swaddling clothes described in the Bible consisted of a cloth tied together by bandage-like strips. After an infant was born, the umbilical cord was cut and tied, and then the baby was washed, rubbed with salt and oil, and wrapped with strips of cloth. These strips kept the newborn child warm and also ensured that the child's limbs would grow straight. Ezekiel 16:4 describes Israel as unswaddled, a metaphor for abandonment."

Babies would be swaddled like this until about 8 or 9 months.