Polycrylic vs polyurethane

Hello! I’m a beginner with woodworking. I bought some unfinished pine bookshelves to use as a sofa console. I bought Minwax Polycrylic because the person at the hardware said it was the same as polyurethane, but it sounds like that’s not the case.

I have little kids and we are HARD on furniture, so I want something that will stand up to spills, dents, etc.

I want to do a clear finish on most of the bookshelves, but paint the back (because it’s kind of ugly, and will show) I was hoping to reuse latex paint I already have to save money, and I bought some polycrylic.

I’m wondering if I should swap to water based polyurethane, or even oil based polyurethane? (In which case I probably need oil based paint, right?) I’m reading here that that is more durable.

I was hoping to get this project finished ASAP, but it’s cold at night right now (~40F), so I need to either wait a while or do it inside. (I don’t have a garage to work in, inside means in the living room or kitchen (or maybe the office. I could close the door to the rest of the house, and open the windows during the day, at least. But if I close the door, the room won’t be warmed much.

I’d love advice! Thank you!