To swaddle or not to swaddle

When GM was released from hospital after he was born, he was all swaddled-up.  I had always thought that swaddling was strictly to keep a baby warm so I was apprehensive he would get all hot and sweaty but he seemed to remain calm.  I also wondered if swaddling may have adverse effects on him but all that I read seem to suggest that it may be beneficial for him but all the articles seem to be from temperate climates.  I also heard from some that it is a tradition to keep the baby swaddled so that he does not get easily surprised.  However, our climate is hot so I still wasn't too sure unless GM was in a cool environment.  So, what to do?

GM is a quite big baby, born at 3.4kg and at his 2 months check-up he had almost doubled in weight, weighing in at 6.4 kg.  During his first month, I found that swaddling him keeps him calm and he slept better so I practiced it.  However, I did not feel like keeping him in an air-conditioned environment all the time as I did not feel that it would be good for him.  Almost all baby blankets are made of flannel and a standard size.  This seemed ok for nights but in the day, he would get red in the face, indicating to me that he was feeling warm so I opted to use the cloth diapers as his swaddling "blanket".  These diapers are made of cotton and able to keep him "cool" and absorb his sweat.  My indicator was his face wasn't so red anymore.  During his first month, you could say that I kept him swaddled almost all the time.

GM soon outgrew these so I had to look for options and I found that my pareo works very well so I started using these.  They are made out of cotton material and are cool.  At this stage, the swaddling was not to keep him warm but to provide him with the sense of safety and to me, of being held so it provided comfort.  I would only swaddle him before lulling him to sleep.  It is a great sleep aid.  Since my pareos were of bright colors, I would also play with him using it - I read that baby's like bright colors and it encourages his brain development.  I am never sure how they know this but if it is not harmful, why not.
My conclusion, swaddling is definitely something that is good, both for the baby and the mother as if baby gets good snooze, he doesn't get cranky and wakes up smiling and rested - definitely a stress remover for mommies :)