Hi E.!
I am in the same boat as you, so I understand where you are coming from! I have a 10 month old active little girl and here are some of the free (or close) things we do-
-we go to the park whenever it is nice (she loves the swings and slides and to look at the ducks, and we have a picnic)
-in the summer, there is a free (awesome) waterpark at woodland mound and winton woods that she really likes, then we have a picnic
-there are 2 indoor parks for kids (sharon woods and winton woods)that will be more appropriate in a few months, but it has tunnels to crawl through and all kinds of things...
-the local libraries usually have some kind of baby event...I look on line or call
-at the forest fair mall (cincinnati mills), there is an indoor amusement park that mya rode one ride, and in a couple months will be able to participate in more, but it is very cheap and that mall also has indoor play things for kids to climb on (and one for babies our age)
-and most recently we have been frequenting the eastgate mall play area (its great especially withe the bigger kids back at school)---mya loves it and it is free
-the park system (hamilton county park district) has all kinds of free things for kids....we went to a live animal exhibit on labor day....does mya have any idea what we are doing? probably not, but it is different scenery for her and she enjoyed it
I know probably most of thosre places are kind of far for you (as well as me...the farthest is 30 minutes), but i find it worth it or we both go nuts during the day!
Plus, on line if you google cincinnati moms, there are a million playgroups to join or ways to meet other moms in a similar situation. I live in Milford and work part time, and also want activities that mya can enjoy, if you've exhausted all those activities and want a playdate, we are always up for something different!
Sorry this was so long, but hopefully it helps!
Take care!
Kim