Utility - mummy's perceived waste of money turned out to be baby's favourite book

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I recently bought a Herve Tullet book for the baby, Press Here, after reading some rave reviews. When it arrived though, I was sorely disappointed that it was just a book with lots of colourful dots (perhaps I lack the imagination to enjoy it).

So I set it aside on the shelf and didn't bother much with it.

Until baby spotted it. Climbed up. Grabbed it. And started flipping through, again and again and again.

It's now his favourite book, and one of the few things that he'll sit quietly by himself to play with, while I change his bedsheets or wash his bottles.

Utility is an economics concept that refers to the satisfaction or usefulness that individuals derive from consuming a good or service. It is a subjective measure, varying from person to person and influenced by individual preferences and circumstances.

I initially found the book to be a waste of money (since it was literally a bunch of pages with colourful dots...). But I've now changed my mind - anything that can keep the baby entertained and quiet for a few minutes is worth its weight in gold. The utility of this book has skyrocketed. So much that I'm now buying a few more extras to place in different rooms around the house, so that he'll always have access to it.

I'm pretty sure there'll be some marginal utility effects coming into play soon, as I flood the house with more and more Herve Tullet books. But that's a problem for another day. For now, I'm going to enjoy the few minutes of peace and quiet that the book brings.