Arms reach cosleeper

Lori
I just put together the arms reach co-sleeper and had a few questions. 1) what are your thoughts on using the matress it comes with or paying for the upgraded one? 2) if you used the mattress it came with would you recomend using a sheet with velcro (like the one it came with) or would a fitted sheet work just as well. 3) would you recomend buying a matress protector? Thanks!