Cereal – a king among breakfast foods – may be getting de-throned. The morning meal market is competitive, as more American families look to alternatives as their breakfast of champions.

Melony Croniser grew up eating cereal in the 1990s. In her house, she’s doing things a little differently. On this day, she’s making baked oats, a nutrition-packed meal for her two children aged 12 and 15, before they head off to school.

“These kids are lucky that I do this for them. I want them to have a nice, wholesome, healthy breakfast,” she said. “Because I was lucky if I got Frosted Flakes in the morning.”

More health-conscious Americans like Croniser are turning to healthy go-to breakfast options like baked oats, smoothies, overnight oats and chia pudding, for example.

Cereal was once the king at the breakfast table, especially in the 1990s. Croniser says she can understand why cereal isn’t snapping, crackling or popping like it used to.

“Yeah, it might have been convenient. And our parents probably loved that because it was new for them, but as time has gone by, we’ve learned that it might be convenient, but it’s not better,” she said.

The nation’s leading cereal brand, Kellogg, says it’s seen declining cereal sales over the years.

In 2022, the cereal giant announced it’s re-strategizing itself by splitting into three separate companies — cereals, snacks and plant-based — in an attempt to regain footing at a time when consumer preference may be swinging in the direction of healthier breakfast alternatives, according to Nielsen data.

A recent survey by CivicScience says only 12% of American households eat cereal daily. And while cereal saw a slight uptick during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, cereal sales have dropped 9% in 2021, and continue to go down. That’s according to consumer data and insights tracker Circana.

While some parents may still opt for cereal, Croniser, a single mother, says she wants to set her children up for success in school.

“This is our fuel to give us energy throughout the day,” Croniser said.

And she wants to be an example to her children to teach them healthy habits they can carry into adulthood.

“The more that we know, and the better we can educate ourselves, the less that we want to put all of these preservatives and just really garbage in our bodies,” Croniser said.

Croniser says what she loves about baked oats is that her children can take it on the go if they aren’t hungry first thing in the morning. She adds she sometimes makes baked oats ahead of time so that they can get out the door quicker in the mornings.