I use my long gun safe as it has a shelf at the top to hold such a thing. But as you mentioned, this isn't practical for you. For bedside/quick-access, I've got one of the four-button small safes. I forget which brand, but they're all alike with ONE CRITICAL distinction. There was a news story/investigation done several years ago about a certain model/style that many manufacturers bought from the same factory, which upon dropping onto a hard floor, would automatically spring the quick access door open. I immediately checked mine after seeing this and thankfully found it to be safe.
As long as you put good batteries in it, it works well. I would suggest using the key access for everyday arm/disarm. Leave the keypad (i.e. Battery use) for emergencies. This would prolong the battery life. Just keep the key on your car keys or something.
I've never owned nor been drawn to the fingerprint access. I have no real world experience with them, just a gut feeling that it's gimmicky. I'd argue that I can get the four digits typed and door open just as quickly as a finger print scanner. Anyone I've ever played with at a store takes a second to "scan" or line up your finger just right.
Tailhunter and I went 10 or 15 rounds about this one a couple years ago, so I hope I don't re-trigger that landslide here!
It's excellent that you're making this decision. Kids are the most curious creatures on earth and WILL snoop and find stuff. My eye opener happened before we had kids, so I left my piece in the nightstand drawer, "safe" because there were no kids in th house and rarely ever visited--nor would they be in our bedroom. That changed when we had Christmas party at our place and had everyone's kids in the guest room with a babysitter. The babysitter couldn't keep them contained and the next thing I knew, a herd of kids was in my room jumping on the bed, mere inches from my unprotected gun. Thankfully I didn't have to learn the hard way, but it was still an uncomfortable eye opener.
To the point about educating kids: absolutely. But it shouldn't replace locking them up (them = guns, not kids). They go together because we're all human and can be forgetful or lazy. So for that one time you put your gun on top of the dresser to take a dump and the kid come in to find it...or when you laid it down to change pants and something happened to make you forget to put it back on...or...
Certainly teach them. But in the end, they're kids. They're not little Marines that'll do as you say or remember every daddy talk right off the bat. I can't tell you how many times I've had the "do you know why I tell you to do/not do this" talk with my two knuckleheads. I try every angle from nice to serious "you're gonna die and buzzards will eat your bones" talks. Very little sinks through the granite foreheads. Keep teaching, keep drilling it into them. But don't rely on them acting like daddy said to. And even if you've got a little robot kid who's so obedient they're scared to fart around you, they'll eventually bring a friend or a relative. To me, it's worth the literally 3 seconds of access time to set the security at an acceptable level.