They're held, but sometimes you'll hear cultural viewpoints like "put the child down, you're holding him too much, you're too touchy-feely with that child, put the child away, put the child down, let them have some me time, some free time, it's me exploration time, and put the child in a stroller, for instance, when you walk them around." There's literally a physical separation between the adult and the care taker and the child. 