Go with what you love every time. And each time you look down you feel happy.

I agree with Belinda but if you find that you have a large commitment to upkeeping the appearance of wood then you won't be happy! Modern sealants etc, really help if they give the finish you want. Too many crumbs can stick in the grooves though if you go that route so more time cleaning, though most vacuum cleaners cope on hard floors. Like you say choose the most practical at the moment for your family's age so that you spend time enjoying your family and not upkeep. Then change out when they are older. Who knows you might even have moved house anyway!

Beauty and practicality; Mmmmmm ..... When it is something that you love .... real wooden floors. Now vinyl just gets dirty , Ply looses it functionality, real wood however gains a patina. You want that. People pay thousands of dollars for that. Go with the most genuine example that you can afford of what you love. Factor in your budget and add to it, an area at a time and be pleased that your life gives character to it every day. By analogy; A mahogany french polished table will just give you a nervous break down every time someone doesn't use a coaster ... a hardwood table can be replenished over and over with hard wearing protective surface .... which you can repair.

If you love it, if it adds genuine warmth and character, you won't mind maintenance.
You won't be saying ...." look at this floor , isn't it amazing? It looks just like the real thing?"

@belindaweir I had otherwise been thinking wooden...new? or reclaimed? Currently in the adjoining dining area is carpet and we have decided to keep carpet there but the flooring underneath, just like the kitchen, is bowed and needs replacing. So I did think we could just put down a new cheap option under the carpet and therefore afford to pay more for a quality hardwood floor but then I got stuck on what and where to do new or reclaimed and if we did reclaimed what would need to be done to have it as a good functioning floor?

my husband just wants me to pick something so the kitchen can be done lol....he doesn't realise its not that easy.

And what if it was the floor to his Man-Cave? It would probably be upcycled gymn floor timber .... which by the way is the best. You could get the cheapest industrial linoleum .... Mind you, I always say, start as you mean to go on! Get the best floor and consider that we are all students and it takes what it takes.

Your husband would probably not like it if you put olive oil in his car or took your computer through a car wash.... I do not know your husband. Maybe he is a money man .... in which case hardwood floors are an investment ... ask any real estate agent. They add to the value of a property, which adds to your equity in it, especially if you are doing the work.