Well at the moment, its going to start getting warmer so you may not want to be putting blankets on your dd. My dd just sleeps in her pjs (shes 16 months), so by the time you come round to using blankets and worrying about feet to foot, she will be a lot older (by the time it starts getting colder again). My dd never stays in one position when she's sleeping, and I usually find she's at the other end of the cot back to front, if you know what i mean. As in her head is where her feet should be.

I dont know if thats good advice or not! lol

You dont have to get the most expensive mattress there is, as a mattress is a mattress although like you said, there are so many to choose from!

But if you want one of those with the head holes, I have this thing (duno what to call it) that slides into the cot, and can sit where ever you want it to, and it'll stop your baby from wiggling down to the bottom of the cot. It's like feet to foot, so the baby has their feet against this guard I guess you could call it. I dont use it now because dd is too big, but Im looking to get rid of it. You could always have it if you want. If you're interested, Ill find the box and give you a better description of it.

Since it's a cot bed it might be quite a good investment to get a decent one as your dd will probably be in it for some time. Not necessarily the most expensive one but one which will last as she gets a bt heavier and has a breathable, washable cover. I wouldn't like to sleep on a plastic covered mattress in the summer and if your dd is anything like mine - she gets pretty hot in bed - it could be quite sweaty.