I used to live with my friend who had a 3-year-old, and she was also very attached to a morning ritual she picked up at her Dad's over christmas, which was, unfortunately, Raison Bran cereal. She wouldn't eat breakfast if she couldn't have it. Once we broke her of the habit, we could feed her pretty much anything, even if it was radically different from cereal.

For such a little one, it was important to make a different breakfast seem like a special treat, so she would get excited to try something different. We would start hyping up the next days breakfast the night before, by saying she was so lucky to have such a yummy breakfast the next day. We started off doing a grainless granola, which she was happy to eat if she was convinced it was special. We also made her to-go smoothies that we called "monster juice" which was coconut milk with a banana, plenty of frozen strawberries, a whole bunch of kale, some baby spinach, and some cinnamon. We would put a halved frozen grape in it and call those "monster eyes" and have it in a special travel cup with a fun straw. She loved it, and it was really filling for her, the daycare lady said she would eat barely any of her snack on the days she had her "monster juice". On the weekends it was easier for her to eat out of her routine, and we could make a eggs-and-bacon type breakfast that she would get excited about. Once we broke the routine with her, it was such a relief, we could feed her anything and didn't have to worry about trying to mimic raison bran because she would just point out how much it wasn't like raison bran. If anything, it was easier to get her to eat things that were very different from cereal, because she wouldn't think about her old habit and compare them.

Hopefully that helps! I know that kids have a wide variety of funny food things, and what works for some may not work for others, haha.

I have a breakfast "cereal" almost every day which I make as follows:

1. Handful of toasted nuts (usually almonds or macadamias - but you could put a whole combination in as well as some toasted seeds and then your daughter would still get the çrunch!).
2. A handful of blueberries (but you could use some mixed berries or maybe some dried fruit?)
3. Mix these with coconut milk - yum! I suppose if she likes a warm breakfast you could heat the coconut milk.

The occassional decadent variation is that sometimes I add a little grated dark chocolate or some of my homemade chocolate bark - that might work for kiddies? I also add some vanilla sometimes or cinnamon.

Like Josh mentioned, warm winter squash will take all the favorite toppings that used to go on cereal. Pumpkin custard cooked with milk, eggs and spices is also a fun choice.

How about replacing it with some paleo trail mix and milk?

Paleo pancakes (using coconut/almond flours) and Mark Sisson's "no-oatmeal" come to mind. There's a ton of recipes out there, here are two:

http://paleonutritionnotes.blogspot.com/2011/10/blueberry-paleo-pancakes.html

http://www.paleoplan.com/2011/06-01/no-oat-oatmeal/ Some people sub in pumpkin puree for the banana.

I like Banded Girl's answer but I also have a different thought.

Kids respond best to change when, from their viewpoint, it's an improvement. So, what are her favorite ancestral foods/meals? Once clear favorites emerge, I'd start offering some as options for breakfast. After all, I eat leftovers from evening in the morning and frequently eat eggs at night.

Anyhow, as she builds a list of favored whole foods just keep encouraging her to include them in her breakfast or eat them exclusively. In some cases, it may go faster than you think and in others maybe not but over time she'll be more and more comfortable with the future "usual" foods.

EDIT: this stuff looks VERY good.

Make her some "No-Oatmeal Oatmeal"!

2 eggs, whisked with some coconut milk over low heat in a sauce pan. You don't want this to scramble. Add cinnamon, nutmeg.

Add either one mashed, ripe banana, OR about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of pureed pumpkin. Whisk this in to egg/coconut milk mixture. Turn the heat up a bit to thicken.

At the last minute, I like adding some almond nut butter, or some freshly ground up nuts, almonds, pecans are tasty too, macadamias would be awesome. Maybe some blueberries on top.

OH MY GOD that stuff is so awesome. I wish I could eat eggs, but I can't no moar :(

You could try a grainless granola like this one: http://www.rawguru.com/store/raw-food/lydias-grainless-apple-cereal-1-lb.html

Also, Primal Blueprint's hot non-cereal is great. My toddler loves it: http://paleoperiodical.com/2011/04/15/recipe-shout-out-primal-blueprints-primal-hot-cereal/

I would start with making a big deal of sunday bacon and eggs - or special omelette - talk about all wk and even invite someone over for Breakfast ! then once she gets that start to introduce it in day by day. It could take some time but you said you were happy to do it slowly!

I made my own version of a 'breakfast cereal' to help my son switch over. I roasted a butternut squash, mashed it with butter and cinnamon & a little honey, mixed in enough groundd flax seed to give it some texture and he ate it with heavy cream - he never complained or turned his nose up at it once. Now he eats bacon or sausage and some carrots or sweet potatoes with butter for breakfast.

(She actually refers to them as "crunchies")

In my mind it sounds like she has affection for her breakfast. I think a few of us could relate to this in terms of our favourite food rituals. Personally I love buying my double espresso first thing before work, and I have been doing so from the same cafe for around four years.

There is security and comfort in these sorts of things, so I do not think it is going to be so easy to switch to something different. I bet that as she wakes up she has "Hmmmm crunchies" running around in her little head. If I got to the cafe and said "una magia doppio per favore" and they gave me a cup of tea, I think I would start crying.

I really think you may have to replace like for like, and slowly move away from the troublesome ingredients. I say make a new game and find a new name for the new breakfast. Perhaps even a silly song you sing while eating it and get her excited that way.

The last thing you want is your daughter to run off with a drummer when she's 16 just to get back at you for stealing her "crunchies". ;)

There is a lot about on paleo 'granola' but I'd still look to try to introduce breakfast options. Oatmeal may be the fall back on troublesome days, but if you can go with bacon or sausages or indeed a favourite meal from a different time of day and get that established as an option, then as the rest of the day goes paleo she'll hopefully work out for herself what she prefers for breakfast.

I feed my niece about 2/3 Paleo... breakfast and lunch. Be careful not to create a fixation on food, and remember sometimes the best intentions can cause a paradoxical return in the long run. Be easy about it.

Too strict a diet can push your child toward bad habits when they find themselves in position to make their own choices.

No matter how Paleo you are, junk food is delicious and flavor is also a big part of quality-of-life. Awareness & moderation are your best tools to installing healthy habits.

God! let you're child eat her cereal. Granola/flax/oatmeal is a perfectly healthy breaksfast for a youngster. You shouldn't be depriving your children of perfectly healthy sources of carbohydrate and making them eat protein and fat centered meals. Rich food like bacon and eggs made me cringes a kid and also left me lethargic.

I would get her used to eating the new breakfast foods you want her to eat but at different times of day. So, for instance, try serving bacon and eggs for lunch or dinner. Once you find few different meals she likes start bringing them to the breakfast table.
Maybe she will see mommie eating bacon and eggs for breakfast and you could offer her some along side her oatmeal? Then after a few days offer them to her BEFORE her oatmeal, hopefully she will fill up on the paleo breakfast and not want the cereal and it will become a distant memory.

I wouldn't try to find paleo oatmeal substitutes. The child will know the difference straight away. Just go with something totally different. You could also mysteriously "run out of oatmeal" so she will be forced to eat something paleo instead.

You could also try switching up the morning routine. Like go for a walk before breakfast. Have a bath. Just something to change the whole routine around so what you are eating becomes less focused.

Well just some ideas for you. Take care

Wow. When I was growing up, I ate what was put in front of me and wouldn't have dared be fussy about it.

Puffed rice. The generic brands usually do not have anything but rice in the ingredients (i.e., no sugar). Not strict paleo, but should be pretty safe. If you do dairy, serve it with milk or heavy cream. If not, serve it with juice or water. Add raisins or other dried fruit for sweetness. Add some sliced almonds or other nuts for additional crunch if needed.

Rather than saying "no", pick a day a week to have a "special" breakfast, something Paleo she'll love. Lots of great suggestions above--I'd add "dinner for breakfast!"

Gradually you can add another special breakfast day, until she forgets that her current menu is her favorite.

you could try to transition her to a gluten-free type cereal. I like to have hard boiled eggs ready to eat in the fridge. My kids are teens though. You slowly add fruit and protein to phase out the oatmeal. Good Luck! Don't expect resistance. Have a positive attitude about it.