I found myself making a similar choice back in February when I was choosing between the 700D and D5200. From a technical specs point of view it was again a choice between the touch screen on the 700D and the apparently slightly better IQ of the Nikon. Deep down I think I also preferred the thought of owning a Nikon for some purely brand related image reason.
For me the choice was made easier when I took the advice of people on here and tried them in the shop. I found my thumb naturally rested over a couple of the buttons on the D5200 where as it seemed to rest more naturally on the rubberised section between the buttons on the 700D. I went for the Canon and have been happy with my choice (not to say I wouldn't have been happy if I'd preferred the feel of the Nikon and I'd gone for that).
In terms of body IQ I've found this to be pretty much irrelevant. I don't think IQ related to the 700D is a significant limiting factor in my photography at the moment and I'm guessing it won't be for some time. As I’ve bought extra lenses to cover different focal lengths I’ve found better lenses do make a significant difference to IQ, much greater than I expected to be able to see as a beginner. However I still think I'm the biggest limiting factor to my photography so haven’t upgraded my kit lens.
I have found the touch screen invaluable. As someone who's last three phones have been touch screen I frequently find my self irritated when I pick up none touch screen devices of a similar size. This aside being able to just touch the settings on the screen that I want to change has made things much easier for me to pick up as I'm learning. As I get more used to the camera I am starting to gradually use more of the direct access buttons but I'm always going to use the touch screen to scroll through images or zoom in on an area and can't currently imagine myself moving to a none touch screen camera in the future.
I notice the D5300 has GPS and Wi-Fi built in which would have made the decision slightly harder but I think with hindsight I'd still rather have the touch screen myself.
If you find yourself looking at more expensive bodies I'd think carefully about whether to do that or spend the money on lenses and other kit. The money I spent on my body and kit lens turns out to have been a small fraction of what I’ve spent on kit since. (Hope you realise what you could be starting here
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Just my 10 cents worth from my admittedly limited experience so far. We all have different preferences so the touch screen may not be such a big draw for others.