What is significant about the swaddling clothes with which Jesus was wrapped as a baby? Luke gives the account of Jesus' birth and mentions that Mary wrapped Him in "swaddling cloths".


  And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling
  cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them
  in the inn.  Luke 2:7 ESV


What is particular significant about this?  Is there any historical material on whether this was a common practice for newborns or whether it was unique to this birth?
I don't want to plagiarize, but there is a very good Catholic article on this here.

In summary, the significance of swaddling clothes lies both in the fact that it is humble, common, ordinary, and also that it ties to Solomon - specifically the Wisdom of Solomon 7, 3-6.  


  7:3 And when I was born, I drew in the common air, and fell upon the
  earth, which is of like nature, and the first voice which I uttered
  was crying, as all others do. 7:4 I was nursed in swaddling clothes,
  and that with cares. 7:5 For there is no king that had any other
  beginning of birth. 7:6 For all men have one entrance into life, and
  the like going out.


Per the author of the article, this tie is a reinforcement of Christ's place in the Davidic line, and his rightful place as heir to the Throne of David.

This may or may not be agreed upon by all denominations,  (The Wisdom of Solomon isn't in the Protestant Bible) or even all Catholics.  The idea of it signifying humble beginnings for the King of Kings does seem to be more universal.

Another article at http://living4jesus.net/dynamic/in.swaddling.htm tells that swaddling cloth used in Scripture is not swaddling clothes that a normal infant would be buried in, but rather the strips of cloth used in burial rites.


  Have you ever wondered about "swaddling clothes"?
  
  Everyone knows that Jesus was born in a manger, and the 2nd chapter of
  the gospel of Luke says that he was wrapped in "swaddling clothes" and
  laid in a manger. In fact, even hospitals today use a cloth that they
  call a "swaddling" cloth. Unfortunately, it's a misnomer that will
  soon be over 2,000 years old, because "swaddling clothes" have nothing
  to do with a child being born!
  
  In the Middle East, people traveling long distances were often met
  with many hardships and trials on their journeys. In the event of a
  death in travel, the body could not continue to be transported for
  many days. For that reason, travelers wrapped a thin, gauzelike cloth
  around their waist many times. If someone died on the journey, the
  others would use this cloth, referred to as "swaddling clothes" to
  wrap the corpse in before burying them.
  
  When Jesus was born, there was no room in the Inn, and so Mary and
  Joseph used a nearby stable for Jesus' birth. With no other cloth to
  use, Jesus was wrapped in Joseph's "swaddling clothes" - the cloth
  normally reserved for a person's death.
  
  The King of Kings and Lord of Lords came into this world in a lowly
  manger and was wrapped with burial clothes - in truth, He was born to
  die. To die for the sins of all mankind.


Clearly, there can be many deeper meanings read into the significance of Swaddling Clothes.  Whether all are accurate, or simply a part of our tendency to romanticize and look for deeper meaning, I'm not sure, but I thought that each of these was worth sharing.