Toddler meltdown at daycare pickup – how do you handle this?

My 15-month-old son absolutely loves daycare, which is great! But lately, pickup time has been getting… difficult. Over the past few weeks, he’s been a little fussy when I pick him up—arching his back, whining a bit—but usually, he calms down quickly enough so I can get him dressed and out the door.

Today, though? Full-blown meltdown. Screaming, kicking, completely frantic. No matter what I did, he refused to settle down, and there was no way I could get his jacket and boots on. In the end, I had to carry him to the car in just his thermal underwear and a hat. 🤦‍♀️

I’m pretty sure this happened because I interrupted a game he had just started playing. But what else am I supposed to do? I can’t exactly wait around until he decides he’s ready to leave. I know toddlers throw tantrums, but I wasn’t prepared for this.

How do you guys handle situations like this? Is there a way to make daycare pickup smoother, or is this just part of the toddler phase?