The American Association of Pediatrics recommends to completely avoid media use for children under 2. This is almost impossible for a typical household, and I would lie if I said our morning Sesame Street time hasn't saved my sanity a time or two.
We play with pots and pans, Tupperware, and cardboard boxes like you do with your baby. But, some times it's nice to pull out the toy box and let them go crazy without a plastic toy singing back to you for an hour. Besides, babies love to explore on their own and have quite a curious imagination!
Note: I purposely chose not to add books to this list, since that is a whole other topic.
Happy playing!
Zoo Animal Train Set $13.99
(Updated version - recalled bolts removed from set.)